‘He is a phenomenal guy.’
‘The clarity with which he does his work and the way he wants to present it to the rest of India, I’m amazed at it.’
IMAGE: Allu Arjun, left, and Resul Pookutty, second from left, with Sound Designers Vijay Kumar and Bibin Dev. Photograph: Kind courtesy Resul Pookutty/Instagram
“The crazy dedication of the crew, especially Allu Arjun, is beyond anything we have seen in Indian cinema. He gave 51 takes just to get his movements perfect in his introductory shot,” a source close to Pushpa 2: The Rule tells Subhash K Jha about the teaser that was unveiled on the actor’s birthday on April 8.
Resul Pookutty, who has designed the sound in the Pushpa movies, is all praise for Allu Arjun.
“He is a phenomenal guy,” he says.
“The clarity with which he does his work and the way he wants to present it to the rest of India, I’m amazed at it. I have known him from a long time. As a young boy, he used to hang around my sound trolly when I was doing Aamir Khan’s Ghajini‘S sync sound. Allu Arjun’s father Allu Arvind was the producer. They weren’t even aware of sync sound then, so everyone was excited. So he still has that love and respect for me. I’m fortunate to be in his company and working together.”
IMAGE: A scene from the teaser of Pushpa 2. Photograph: Kind courtesy Resul Pookutty/Instagram
About the stunning teaser of Pushpa 2, Resul says, “It took me seven days to do the sound design and mix of the one-minute teaser. If I ask for two days from a Hindi film producer, he will laugh at me. That’s the difference.
“They (Telugu film producers) know what they are doing and they do it passionately. When I was mixing the sound for Pushpa 2, the director was busy with the remaining shoot, so he left everything to do with the sound to my fair judgement.”
Resul reveals that Allu Arjun has been a part of every department of Pushpa 2.
“He has taken a keen interest to see how the teaser was shaping up. Cameraman Miroslaw Kuba Brozek and Production Designers Monika and Ramakrishna came in to studio just to see how it was going. It is such a unified working environment.
“The music composer Devi Sri Prasad is such a darling! He couldn’t join the sound-mix procedure but we were on a hotline sharing mixes and listening and correcting… and you can see and hear the results in the design and mix.”
Photograph: Kind courtesy Resul Pookutty/Instagram
Allu Arjun is in no hurry to conquer the Hindi film industry.
In an interview in 2020, Allu Arjun told Subhash, “Don’t get me wrong, Bollywood is a lovely place. I love the work that’s being done there. A film like 3 Idiots is truly inspiring to me. There have been offers from Hindi cinema. but for me to take a break from my busy career in Telugu cinema, it has to be something worth the effort. Maybe some day soon.”
The actor’s equation with the box office has changed after Pushpa: The Rise.
“I am never going to step off the commercial platform. It is where my dreams were realised. As far as I am concerned, it is commercial cinema that gives me success and fans,” he says.
IMAGE: Allu Arjun in the Pushpa 2 teaser.
Speaking of fans, does it get too much to handle them?
“Not at all. I love their attention. I am what I am because of the fans. They’ve made me into the person that I am today.”
Would Allu Arjun like it if his son and daughter showed an interest in acting?
“I’d welcome it. Right now, they are too young. But when they’re old enough to choose their own path and if they tell me they want to be actors, I’d extend support to them. I come from a family devoted to cinema. My grandfather gave his life to the movies. My father is completely devoted to producing films. For me, cinema is life.”
