WAVES summit 2025: Indian film industry will make a global mark in coming years, says Allu Arjun

"With all due respect to every other film industry in the world, whether it is Hollywood films, Korean films, Iranian films, or Chinese films, everybody has had an impact on global box office," Arjun said

Mumbai: Superstar Allu Arjun on Thursday said the Indian cinema is growing from strength to strength and will soon have a serious impact on the “global box office”.
Speaking at the session “Talent Beyond Borders” at the first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) here, the “Pushpa” star said he wants to take Indian cinema to a global level by pushing boundaries.

“With all due respect to every other film industry in the world, whether it is Hollywood films, Korean films, Iranian films, or Chinese films, everybody has had an impact on global box office. We have such a big film industry and we’ve been there for so many decades. But we never had a serious impact on the global box office. I feel it’s just about time… India is getting there. We, as a country, are growing and in the coming years, Indian film industry will make a global mark,” Arjun said.

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The Telugu star, also known for movies such as “Arya”, “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo” and “Vedam”, said the entertainment industry needed an initiative like the WAVES summit.

“I’m very glad it’s happening now. I’ve seen it in other fields, medical and other expos… many conventions. I was always expecting that it has to happen for entertainment industry and it’s actually happening,” he added.

Arjun, whose last release “Pushpa 2: The Rise” broke many box office records, said the key to reaching a wider audience is by telling authentic stories.

“Everything has a significant impact on me, everything is changing so fast in the world. K-Pop, K-dramas, Hollywood films, regional films, everything has got a significant impact. The only way to reach a global level is by telling local stories,” he added.

He said he was once a “regional actor” but that has changed after the success of “Pushpa” franchise.

“At least everybody knows my face now… I used to work in Telugu films with quite a popularity in other states in the South but now, because of ‘Pushpa’ and the grace of the entire Indian audience, I’ve become more familiar. So it’s a long journey, and I’m glad to have started this journey.” What matters to him the most is that his movies should be unique, he added.

“Every movie should not repeat itself. Unknowingly, we all have our own patterns. All of us have it. We all have our patterns, but consciously, we should try to remove those patterns and try to come up with something new every single time.

“And in such a competitive world, you have to present the best to the audience at every given point. That inspiration to serve people has made me versatile. I think versatile is a byproduct.” Arjun said that in today’s world, an actor can’t be limited to just acting.

“You need to have multiple skill sets. You need to have a great script sense, technical sense. You need to understand markets and marketing. You need to understand distribution.

“There are so many wonderful actors in this country from all over, in Hindi cinema, in Malayalam, in Tamil, in Canada, all over industries. To be successful, you need to have these seven-eight attributes,” he added.

Considered among the most prolific dancers, not just in Telugu cinema but across industries, Arjun said dance feels like “second nature”. “It comes with a lot of ease… I’ve never trained for dance. I’m a natural dancer. Maybe now that age is catching up, I feel like training even more to have the skill sharpened,” he added.

The actor also opened up about the most fearful point in his life when he suffered an accident that required him to take a break for six months.

“I was banking so much of my career on physical fitness and then that’s when it struck me that physical strength, agility and all this will deteriorate by age and what grows with you is actually the artistic skills and the performance.

“And ever since that, I started concentrating on giving my best performance, and by my 20th film, with all humility, I was the first Telugu actor to win a national award in 69 years. I thought that breaking my hand was like the biggest low of my life, but that, in fact, is the biggest gift of my life.” His next film is with “Jawan” director Atlee.

“I like his aspirations, I felt we are like minded at many levels. We hope to bring a very new visual spectacle film to Indian cinema. It will be an international presentation film with total Indian sensibilities,” Arjun added.