Not Allu Arjun in Pushpa, Sai Pallavi did it first in Dhanush's Rowdy Baby

Down with Pushpa fever? What if we told you that, before Allu Arjun, Sai Pallavi did the now-famous chin-rub scene, way back in Rowdy Baby.

We are sure you have watched Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna-starrer Pushpa: The Rise already. We are surer that you are watching Samantha's Oo Antava or Srivalli or Saami Saami on a loop. Are you making Instagram reels too? Well, you must be. Now, apart from these songs, there's one of Allu Arjun's gestures that has gone viral. You know, the chin or beard-rub thing. Everyone from Ravindra Jadeja to David Warner is doing it. But what if we tell you that not Allu Arjun but Sai Pallavi actually did it first, way back in Rowdy Baby, a song she featured in with Dhanush? Yup, we have proof.

We love Allu Arjun's style. And not just in Pushpa: The Rise. We love him since Arya and especially after Arya 2. He is the definition of cool. And we saw those cool moves in Pushpa too, naturally. The beard-rub mannerism particularly stands out. In an interview recently, Allu Arjun revealed that it was something he just did for a particular sequence of a song they were shooting. Director Sukumar liked the mannerism so much that he instructed Allu Arjun to incorporate that as one of the traits of the character. A smart move we'd say, because look at how popular it became.

But sorry to burst your and director Sukumar's bubble - and Allu Arjun's too (oops) - Sai Pallavi did it first in Rowdy Baby, a song she featured in with Dhanush. Rowdy Baby is a song from the film Maari 2 (2018), that became a chartbuster, much like Oo Antava of today. You may not have watched the film, but you definitely have heard the song, right? Dhanush and Sai Pallavi deliver some electric dance moves, making it impossible not to dance along.

At the 2.43-minute mark (approx) of the video, you spot an effervescent Sai Pallavi doing this exact mannerism. And we are floored. Watch it below:

Now, we're not going into the debate of who did it better, it's just about who did it first. We rest our case here.