There’s a moment in Pushpa: The Rule that had everyone talking – Allu Arjun dressed in a saree, jewellery and blue body paint. Now, the actor is finally opening up about that choice and his take on it might flip how you see it entirely.
In a new interview, Allu Arjun reflected on his career and shared that stepping into a woman’s role for that sequence was, in his view, one of the boldest and most confident decisions he’s ever made as an actor, even though it wasn’t the typical macho image expected of a male lead.
The actor currently graces the cover of Forbes India’s Showstoppers 2026 list, which honors India’s 100 most prominent celebrities across film and sports. He shares this space with big names like Virat Kohli, Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh, standing out as one of the top representatives from Indian cinema on the list.
Talking about how Pushpa changed things for him, Allu Arjun shared that the franchise’s massive success gave him a new perspective on Indian cinema and pushed him to think bigger and reach further with his work going forward.
The two Pushpa films did more than just perform well, they took Allu Arjun’s fame well beyond Telugu cinema and into households across the country. Pushpa: The Rise first introduced the character of Pushpa Raj to a nationwide audience, and its sequel, Pushpa 2: The Rule, went on to become one of the highest-grossing Indian films ever made.
When asked what he thinks truly matters when making a film meant for such a wide audience, Allu Arjun kept it simple, essentially saying that if you focus on making a genuinely good film, everything else tends to fall into place naturally.
That saree-clad look from Pushpa 2: The Rule wasn’t just a random creative choice — it was tied to the Gangamma Jathara sequence in the film, inspired by a real tradition from the Tirupati region where men dress as women to honor the local goddess Gangamma Thalli. In the film, Allu Arjun appears in a saree, full jewellery, makeup and blue body paint as his character Pushpa takes part in this ritual.
The scene also carried real narrative weight. Allu Arjun explained that the idea actually came from director Sukumar, who felt that going with a typical, hyper-masculine look for that portion of the story just wasn’t working. Instead of resisting the unconventional choice, the actor leaned into it fully and looking back, he considers stepping into a feminine role to be the most confident, courageous thing he’s done in his career so far.
As for what’s next, Allu Arjun is currently busy shooting Raaka, a sci-fi action film directed by Atlee, alongside Deepika Padukone and Rashmika Mandanna. He’s also lined up to work with director Lokesh Kanagaraj on a project currently known as AA23, while Pushpa 3: The Rampage is already in the works.
Are you excited for Pushpa 3?
