‘Mallu Arjun’ - The Malayali fans’ adoration for Allu Arjun reaches fever pitch as the release of Pushpa 2 - The Rule draws close

Malayali fans express deep emotional connection with Telugu actor Allu Arjun, adoring him as a brother figure.

It is fascinating to listen to Malayali fans talk about what the Telugu actor Allu Arjun means to them. For them, ‘Allu ettan’ or ‘Mallu Arjun’ is an ‘emotion’, a ‘personification of hope’, ‘positive energy’, he is ‘courage’ and, above all, he is all that is fun about the movies — the song, the dance, the stunts — the spectacle that is cinema. With the release of Pushpa 2 - The Rule just a day away, excitement has reached fever pitch. 

The fans endearingly and reverentially refer to the actor as ettan, the abbreviated form of chettan (older brother). “It is a form of respect and that is what he is to us. We have grown up watching his films…he is a ‘brother-figure’ to us!” says each one of the fans.  

Sujith Thomas aka Allu Sujith, wears his adoration on his skin, literally. With 32-odd tattoos that proclaim his devotion — five portraits and the rest iterations of Arjun’s name — Allu, Arjun, Mallu Arjun — Sujith is no ordinary fan. There is not an inch of vacant space on his walls either, he jokes. While the rest of the world may see him as a ‘crazy fan’, it is more than “hero worship or being drawn to his stardom”.

“It is an emotional bond. People reduce our [fans] feelings to foolishness. But it is no different from looking up to someone, only that our role model happens to be an actor. I have become a better person because of it,” Sujith, 29, says over the phone from his home in Sulthan Bathery. He is preparing for his Public Service Commission (PSC) exam. 

Sujith travelled to Kochi on November 27, when the actor came to Kochi as part of the Pushpa 2 promotional tour. “I may not be able to get anywhere near him. It does not matter, being in the same place as Allu ettan and catching a glimpse is enough,” says Sujith before the event. 

Meanwhile, another avid fan, Bengaluru-based Arjun VC, 33, did not come for the event “so that other fans would get a chance to meet Allu ettan.” He last saw the actor six years ago. “I have seen him a few times, in Kerala and Hyderabad,” says Arjun, who works in the IT sector. Because of his name and his being a fan, Arjun is also referred to as Allu Arjun. Allu is a prefix of choice among fans. 

Allu Arjun is probably the only non-Malayali actor who has around 500-odd fan club units (local) in Kerala. For the release of Pushpa 2, 100-odd fan shows [special shows for fans on the release day] have been planned across the State. The first show of the day, on December 5, will be at 4am.