Allu Arjun south scope vol 1 September 2009

And the winner is ... And the winner is ... And the winner is ...


Allu Arjun has arrived and how! Karthik Pasupulate caught up with him soon after Arjun took the most coveted black lady home

The best thing about appreciation is that it makes what is exceptional about an individual belong to everybody. Try comforting a nominee, who's lost out the best actor statuette to a competitor, with that logic. You'd be lucky if you get away with just a mouthful! Because when it comes to the movie awards it does not get bigger than the Filmfare Awards and here, the winner takes it all. Allu Arjun did just that when he was adjudged best actor for Parugu.

Well deserved, one would think, after him being in the contention a fair few times over the last six years. A quick take on what it's like to take home the most coveted black lady in showbiz... Winning stroke Interestingly, though Allu Arjun's performance in Parugu was well-appreciated, he was not the favourite to win the title. And the actor is candid enough to admit it. "You do not expect to win awards. I am kind of used to the feeling of attending award ceremonies as a nominee.

But I had that fleeting sensation when I saw Charan smiling as he was getting ready to announce the winner. But I could not stop blushing once my name was announced," says Arjun. But he is only too happy to share the credit in his moment of glory. "The credit must go to the director, really.The idea of the film was his, after all," he says.

Greedy for more So, now that the monkey is finally off his back he must be breathing a lot easier. We wonder if that would put extra pressure to live up to those lofty expectations. "For the record, it certainly completes me as an actor. It's the sort of thing that will look nice in biographies," he says laughing. "But it really does not change anything else. When you are signing a film you go for it based on a gut feel and then travel on that hope. But yes it has made me greedier for more," he confesses.

Miles to go But `Bunny', as he is fondly called, has his plate full at the moment. Having almost completed shooting for the sequel to Arya, he is currently shooting for two more films.

"I am very excited about Vedam. I have a very interesting role in it. The film is a story about five people. Something like this has never been attempted earlier in Telugu cinema. Besides, I have just begun shooting for an untitled film by Gunasekhar," he reveals.

That looks like a tight schedule. So, what's the motivation behind this new found multitasking? "I realised if I keep working on just one film a year I would have just worked on 10 films in 10 years. I want to be seen more often and try my hand at a variety of roles,"

he shares. Now, isn't that reason enough for Arjun's fans to rejoice?

> As good as it gets "It is overwhelming. This is the first time I am winning a best actor award in my career. I have had to wait six years for this, so it is very satisfying," beams an excited Arjun. One would have thought his portrayal of the annoying lover in Arya deserved an award. "It would be unfair to compare the two performances. I'd say both are on par. On a number scale I'd give both the performances 3.75 out of 5," he decides.