Allu Arjun, despite his lineage as Allu Ramalingaiah's grandson and Chiranjeevi's nephew, faced challenges in the early stages of his career. His debut in the 2003 film Gangotri, directed by K Raghavendra Rao, did not lead to promising opportunities due to initial perceptions about his appearance.
Reflecting on his journey at an event commemorating 20 years since Sukumar's Arya release, Allu shared candidly about the struggles he encountered until he accepted the role in the 2004 romantic drama. Despite Gangotri's commercial success, Allu felt he didn't portray his best, admitting, "I didn’t look great, so good films didn’t come my way." He described feeling like a failure as an artist, navigating from anonymity to disappointment.
Even after his debut, Allu found himself uninspired by scripts while frequenting Hyderabad's RTC crossroads. However, a turning point came when he attended a screening of Nithiin's Dil a month later, where Sukumar approached him for Arya. Impressed by Sukumar's script and inspired by Ravi Teja's Idiot, Allu saw Arya as his chance to showcase his dancing skills, particularly in the song "Thakadhimithom."
Allu credits Sukumar with transforming his life, emphasizing the director's profound impact from Arya to their latest collaboration, Pushpa: The Rule. Despite hits or flops, Sukumar remained instrumental in guiding Allu's career trajectory.
Arya's success marked a pivotal moment for both Allu and Sukumar, with music composer Devi Sri Prasad adding to the film's triumph. Now, Sukumar directs Allu once again in Pushpa: The Rule, the sequel to the 2022 hit Pushpa: The Rise, featuring Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil.