Allu Arjun wasn't the first choice for Gunasekhar's Rudhramadevi; read trivia

Allu Arjun, son of the film producer Allu Aravind, is one of the finest Indian actors, known primarily for his work in the Telugu cinema. He made his acting debut with K. Raghavendra Rao’s Telugu drama, Gangotri (2003), and hasn’t looked back since. Allu Arjun's films like Race Gurram, Yevadu, Asya 2, Julayi, Duvvada Jagannadham, Happy, and many more have proved the actor’s versatility in the industry. Allu Arjun has won five Filmfare Awards South and two Nandi Awards, throughout his career. But, fans will be surprised to know that Allu Arjun’s Rudhramadevi (2015) was first offered to Mahesh Babu and Jr NTR. Read further ahead to know all about Rudhramadevi and how Allu Arjun got to play the part.

Also Read | Allu Arjun's Cameo Appearances In These Movies Will Surprise Fans

Rudhramadevi’s initial choice of actors

Rudhramadevi is a historical action biography drama, written and directed by Gunasekhar. The movie starred Allu Arjun, Anushka Shetty, Rana Daggubati, Vikramjeet Virk, and Prakash Raj as the lead characters. According to reports from IMDb, the character of Gona Gana Reddy (played by Allu Arjun) was first offered to South star Mahesh Babu and then to South Indian movie industry’s critically acclaimed actor, Jr NTR. But, it is when both the actors didn’t seem to be interested in playing the part, is when the character of Gona Gana Reddy was offered to Allu Arjun. The actor played the character with perfection and gained many praises for his performance in the movie.

Also Read | Allu Arjun Poses With Wife Sneha Reddy On The Occasion Of Telugu Karwa Chauth

The movie was a huge success at the box-office and became the fifth-highest opening day grossing Indian movie of the year. It reportedly grossed ₹32 crores worldwide in the opening weekend. The plot of the movie revolves around the life of Queen Rudrama Devi (Anushka Shetty) and her reign in Southern India during the 13th century.

Also Read | Allu Arjun Is The Only Telugu Actor With Every Film Dubbed In Malayalam, Did You Know?

The script of the movie is based on the life of Rani Rudramadevi. Anushka Shetty, Nayanthara, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas were considered to be cast for the lead character in the movie but Anushka Shetty was signed because of her performance in Arundhati. The movie is made on a total budget of ₹80 crores. Vikramjeet Virk, who has earlier been cast to play a negative character in Ashutosh Gowarikar's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010) and in Puri Jagannadh's 2014 movie Heart Attack, was selected to play a negative character in the movie, keeping in mind his great performances.        

Also Read | Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna To Begin Shooting For 'Pushpa' From November 10