Decoding rise and rise of Allu Arjun and why Pushpa 2 Patna launch is iconic

Allu Arjun is all set to take over the country like wildfire, just as he promised in the trailer of the recently launched Pushpa 2: The Rule. The makers chose Patna as the venue, making the event extravagant as hordes of fans gathered at Gandhi Maidan to catch a glimpse of the Icon star. When Pushpa: The Rise released in 2021, Allu Arjun set a new benchmark as his film with the film running successfully for nearly 10 weeks.
Not only that, it achieved overwhelming success at the box office in the North belt, truly making it a pan-India hit. How did Allu Arjun build such a loyal fanbase in the Hindi belt? Surely, this didn’t happen overnight.
As the Pushpa 2 trailer launch continues to be talked about, let us decode the rise and rise of Allu Arjun as a pan-India star and the epic trailer launch in Patna.
Up until a decade ago, there was a classic demarcation in terms of South and North Indian films. It was SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali series that bridged the gap and made the world sit up and take notice of regional cinema. But, was it the first film that North Indians associated with South Indian cinema? The answer is a resounding no.
Over the years, television channels like SonyMax, SonyAath, ZeeCinema, Sahara One and others, have played the dubbed versions of many South Indian films. These dubbed versions found its home among family audiences, who contribute a major population.
One of the large contributors of dubbed films is Goldmines Films, who run a popular satellite television channel, Dhinchaak TV. The channel exclusively streams Hindi and Bhojpuri dubbed South Indian films. Apart from the channel, there’s Goldmines YouTube channel, which boasts of many films. Allu Arjun’s films collectively got over 1.5 billion views on the channel.
As many dubbed South Indian films became a hit on satellite, it was Allu Arjun and Prabhas, who gained maximum fan-following. Trade analyst Ramesh Bala exclusively told India Today Digital, “Allu Arjun had a massive fan following in Kerala. In fact, people call him Mallu Arjun there. However, this is not a success story that happened overnight. It started when his film Arya (with director Sukumar) released and it’s dubbed version struck gold on satellite and YouTube. Since then, the craze for him and his films were on the rise.”

Popular distributor Jayantilal Gada of Pen Studios echoes with Bala and said, “He is a super hit amongst the masses. He is number one in the TV market. His films and Telugu actor Sreenivas Bellamkonda’s films always get great response on televison.”
After Arya, many of his Telugu films were dubbed in Hindi. By then, Allu Arjun had become a household name in the North belt. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh exclusively told us, “During the Covid-19 pandemic, people were addicted to their electronic devices. A huge chunk of people gravitated towards South Indian films. Though I wouldn’t say it started during the pandemic, I could say that the craze grew multifold during the pandemic.”
And when Allu Arjun and director Sukumar’s Pushpa: The Rise released in December 2021, he was not just a celebrated superstar in the South but also in the North belt.
Here’s the trailer of Pushpa: The Rise:

Adarsh continued, “With his dubbed films, Allu Arjun cultivated a base for himself. And when Pushpa: The Rise delivered, there was no stopping him.”
The cult of South Indian dubbed films helped Allu Arjun capitalise on the market in North India. Producer-distributor Jayantilal Gada explains the phenomenon and said, “The market changes from time to time. Remakes were made back then. It is still made now. It isn’t necessary that every dubbed film will work. Stars, subjects, etc. matter when it comes to dubbing. Now, the audience is open to watching films in the theatres.”
This is where Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rise stood apart. The film’s dubbing by Shreyas Talpade worked like magic for the film. Since the film is about the rise of a daily wage labourer to becoming a kingmaker in the red sandalwood smuggling circuit, it hit home.
Bala, about Pushpa: The Rise’s success, remarked, “It’s a film that raked in Rs 100 crore nett in the Hindi market. For a South Indian film to succeed in the Hindi belt, it has to enter the Rs 100-crore (nett) club. Films like Baahubali, RRR and KGF did that.”
Looking back at Pushpa 1’s phenomenal theatrical run, Taran Adarsh remarked, “Through his dubbed films, Allu Arjun built a mass base for him and Pushpa: The Rise truly benefited from that.”
Following the success of Pushpa, Goldmines released the dubbed version of Allu Arjun’s superhit film, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo on Dhinchaak Channel, which fetched them a good rating.
Jayantilal Gada recalled how Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rise received a gargantuan response the week it was telecast on TV. “The response was amazing the week it was telecast on TV. Pushpa 2 will also do very well. We, at Pen Studios, acquired the TV rights of the sequel. We were the first TV buyer and secured it for a record-breaking price. That explains the film’s demand on TV,” he added.
Allu Arjun is now an icon for many across the globe. For the first time in the history of Indian cinema, a South Indian film had its massive trailer launch event in Patna. Why Patna?
Explaining the decision behind choosing Patna as the venue for the beginning of Pushpa 2 promotions, Bala said, “For a film to become a hit in the Hindi heartland, it has to run successfully in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which are highly populated. And Gandhi Maidan is a place famous for its political rallies. When Allu Arjun, who is coming after the success of Pushpa, the expectation is naturally beaming.”
The trailer launch event saw thousands of people in attendance. Many of his fans climbed atop lamp posts and other structures erected at the venue to catch a glimpse of Pushpa Raj aka Allu Arjun.
Taran Adarsh observes that the craze for Pushpa 2 is sky high. “Allu Arjun is now a brand, and it will only solidify with the release of sequel. Having the trailer launch event in Patna is the best thing to have happened for Pushpa 2. Look at the crowd turnout. The trailer itself created ripples across the globe and with a grand event, everyone knows about it. This is where South Indian films excel. They know their target audience and they excel at bringing their film to them,” he explained.
Jayantilal Gada states that it was a win-win situation for Pushpa 2 makers to have the trailer launch in Patna. “To spread across the entire North market. That way, they covered the North and East belt. They saved bandwidth on travelling. It was a good idea to release the trailer in Patna. Pushpa 1 worked really well in Patna. It was a win-win situation for them,” he said.
Here’s the trailer of Pushpa 2:

A lot is riding on Pushpa 2 for director Sukumar and Allu Arjun. Nearly three years after the first part, the sequel is all set to take over the theatres by storm. This time, Pushpa 2 is also being released in Bengali, probably a first for a Telugu film.
Bala observed that the makers could also go ahead with a Bhojpuri dubbed version as well. “They will target dubbing the film in other languages. Allu Arjun and Pushpa 2 makers will go all out. They will tap into the maximum potential to get a massive opening,” he added.
Taran Adarsh is confident that Pushpa 2 will easily overshadow SS Rajamouli’s RRR and Yash’s KGF. He stated, “Pushpa 2 will set new benchmarks and Allu Arjun will once again prove his worth.”
Pushpa 2: The Rule, directed by Sukumar, will release in theatres on December 5. Apart from Allu Arjun, the film will also feature Fahadh Faasil and Rashmika Mandanna in lead roles.