The number ‘Srivalli’ from the Telugu blockbuster ‘Pushpa – The Rise’, featuring Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead, seems to have captured not just the hearts of fans and film buffs but also cricketers.

First, it was Australian cricketer David Warner, who loved the number so much that he put out a video of him replicating actor Allu Arjun’s dance moves for the superhit number. Now, Suresh Raina too seems to have tried his hand at dancing for the same song.

Raina, however, danced to the Hindi version of the hit number. He posted a video clip of him dancing to the number on Instagram and said: “I couldn’t stop but try this myself.”

The cricketer also heartily congratulated Allu Arjun for a fine performance in the film that was directed by Sukumar.

He said: “Allu Arjun, what an incredible performance in Pushpa brother! Wishing you lots of success!”

Allu Arjun’s recent offering Pushpa: The Rise is made on a huge budget and the film has done well across the Telugu states. The film performed beyond the expectations in Hindi and Tamil languages. The makers spent lavishly on the making and the promotions. The final statistics made it clear that the makers could not make huge profits but they managed to land safe. Allu Arjun and Sukumar are busy with the sequel which is titled Pushpa: The Rule and the shoot commences very soon.

The biggest mistake made by Mythri for Pushpa: The Rise is that they sold out the non-theatrical rights of the film even before the release of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. They are now in plans to hold all the rights till the film’s release. Pushpa: The Rule will also start on a high note in Hindi and Tamil because of the first installment. The pre-release business outside the Telugu states would be exceptional for Pushpa: The Rule. Allu Arjun is also keen to promote the second installment all over the country and a perfect promotional plan will be chalked out before the release.

Mythri Movie Makers are keen to make Pushpa: The Rule on lavish standards and plan a grand release without any rush. They are pretty sure that the first installment paved paths for the second one. The film is expected to release in December this year.

Looking to put the massive reach of director Sukumar’s blockbuster film ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, featuring Allu Arjun in the lead, to good use, the Hyderabad Traffic Police recently chose to use a picture of Allu Arjun from the film to create awareness among the public on the need to wear helmets while riding two-wheelers.

The movie, starring Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead, continues to have a strong run even after a month in theatres.

In the poster put out by the police department, the superstar is seen wearing a checked shirt (from the movie) and riding a bike with a helmet on. The post emphasized how helmets save lives of people and urged citizens to wear them while riding two-wheelers.

After taking the box-office by storm with a record collection of over Rs 300 crore and its Hindi version nearing Rs 90 crore, ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ is bulldozing its way to record books.

After extending its theatrical run and getting an amazing response at the BO, the Hindi version of the movie had marked its OTT debut on Prime Video last week.

Interestingly, the superstar’s Telugu action drama ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’ (2020) is scheduled to release its dubbed Hindi version in cinemas on January 26.

Leaving everyone in surprise, Allu Arjun’s recent offering Pushpa: The Rise overperformed across the North Indian circuit even after the promotions are ignored. The movie released in a decent number of screens and it raked decent money due to the positive word of mouth. The film grossed over Rs 84 crores in 4 weeks which is huge. Manish Shah of Goldmines Telefilms holds the entire Hindi rights of the film and he is said to have invested Rs 40 crores in the film. The theatrical share would be close to Rs 42 crores and he recovered the investment through the theatrical rights.

The Hindi TV rights are sold for Rs 30 crores and the digital rights for the Hindi version are sold for Rs 10 crores. Manish pocketed a profit of Rs 40 crores through Pushpa: The Rise which is huge for a South Indian film. He is also keen to involve in the sequel of the film but the makers will not sell off the theatrical and Hindi rights for now. Mythri Movie Makers who sold the Hindi deals long ago will now hold all the rights till the film’s release. With Pushpa: The Rise making decent money, the sequel Pushpa: The Rule will have terrific expectations.

Directed by Sukumar, the shoot of the sequel commences in April and the makers are keen to release the film in December this year in all the India n languages. Rashmika is the leading lady and Fahadh Faasil is the lead antagonist.

The story of ‘Pushpa’ is centred around the Rayalaseema region in southern Andhra Pradesh, yet it was this past year’s biggest pan-India hit. Are Indian audiences finally warming up to the idea that content matters more than regional specificities?

At least Allu Arjun, the star of ‘Pushpa’, believes this is happening. “The success of ‘Pushpa’ across northern India only validates my belief,” he said. “Even if the plot is region-centric, its authenticity and the conviction with which the movie is made will appeal to audiences.”

The success of ‘Pushpa’ has also opened up Allu Arjun to the idea of appearing in more multi-language movies.

In a recent media interview, on being asked if he’s prepared to act in a Bollywood movie, Allu Arjun said: “In addition to Hindi, I am open to acting in movies of other languages. I would like to entertain a wider audience.”

He added on a philosophical note: “Performance is nothing but the actor’s mindset; the broader it is, the wider the reach.”

Is he prepping for the second part of ‘Pushpa’? For the moment, Allu Arjun is only prepared to say that he is “basking in the glory” of the film’s success.