Before Pushpa turned him into a pan-India phenomenon, Allu Arjun was already a superstar in Telugu cinema. So, it was considered a gamble for him to bet on something like Pushpa, particularly when he played boldly with the much-talked-about Gangamma Thalli Jathara sequence. Now, in a new interview, Arjun has called donning the saree for that scene the ‘most alpha thing’ he has ever done in his life.
In 2025, Arjun admitted that he was initially scared to do the sequence and wear a saree in it. Pushpa 2, which grossed over ₹ 1800 crore worldwide, was Arjun’s last release, two years ago. The film remains the second-highest-grossing Indian film ever, behind only Dangal, and ahead of Baahubali 2 and Dhurandhar 2. The film will release in theatres in 2027.
Only one thing that Sukumar garu (sir) and I thought was that even if he’s dressed in a sari, he has to look very, very macho, the alpha-ness should not be lost. Because there’s always a fear in the beginning, and I started buying into the idea,. Yeah, that was the first reaction. We started doing sketches. And then we could see it. First, there was fear, and then there was exploration. And then after a point, we knew, this is going to be the USP of the film as an actor. I knew it is a challenging thing for me as an actor. If I do this, I will walk away with a huge, how do I say, with a great name. The actor will be next seen in Atlee’s Raaka, opposite Deepika Padukone.
Recalling his conversation with director Sukumar, Arjun told The Hollywood Reporter India: “When he initially told me, I was scared. We had finished a very macho photoshoot, and he said, ‘It’s not working. Then he said, ‘I want you to wear a sari, dress like a lady.
The actor even performed a choreographed dance, mixed with a fight scene. The entire sequence earned praise from fans and even critics. Arjun’s look, in particular, was praised. The Gangamma Thalli Jathara is traditionally celebrated in Tirupati. The festival is generally observed by native residents of Tirupati. The Jatara is an annual festival, which is celebrated in the first fortnight of May every year.
The Gangamma Thalli Jathara sequence in Pushpa 2 : The Rule saw Arjun’s character Pushpa Raj wearing a saree in honour of the female deity for the festival sequence.
In an interview with Forbes India, the actor referred to the scene and said, “I would say the most alpha thing I’ve ever done is to play a woman. Gangamma is worshipped as the younger sister of Lord Sri Venkateswara, according to the official website of the Ministry of Tourism.
