When Arya Was Once Considered To Play Baddie In Allu Arjun's Pushpa

Allu Arjun's Pushpa: The Rise broke several box office records, after its release in December 2021. At the 69th National Film awards, the film's music composer Devi Sri Prasad received the National Award for Best Music Director, while Allu Arjun won Best Actor for his performance in the blockbuster film.

The much-talked-about film is based on the lives of red sandalwood smugglers in the Seshachalam region of Andhra Pradesh. The film was raved for Allu Arjun's performance as the daring smuggler (Pushpa Raj) and the performance of Fahadh Faasil who played Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat. However, much before Fahadh Faasil was considered for the role, it was rumored that the role first went to Arya. Read on to know more.

According to industry grapevine and multiple reports, in 202, it was said that Arya has been signed to replace Vijay Sethupathi (who has reportedly opted out due to date clashes from Pushpa) as the antagonist in Allu Arjun’s Pushpa. Arya was likely to return to Telugu cinema after a decade.

Arya made his Telugu debut as the villain in Allu Arjun’s Varudu, which released in 2009. However, the buzz around the news seemed to fade away, when it was announced that Fahadh Faasil was to play the role of the antagonist in the racy action-drama.

On working with Fahadh Faasil in Pushpa, Allu Arjun said "Working with Fahadh was a fantastic experience. I have watched his films and liked his electrifying performances on screen. It was a pleasure to see him perform live. I admire him. He is one of the best actors in the country and I really like his style. I have huge respect for him because he doesn’t take any prompts. He writes his dialogues and repeats them. I have never seen an actor who doesn’t know the language do that. He told every dialogue almost like a Telugu speaking person. That’s one of the qualities that I, the director and everyone else admired in him"

Directed by Sukumar, Pushpa 2 will release on 15 August 2024. Allu Arjun headlines the film alongside actors Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Sunil and Anasuya Bharadwaj among others.