A day after being facilitated with the CNN-News18 Indian of the Year Award, Allu Arjun penned a sweet note of thanks. The Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo actor on Wednesday received the award in the entertainment category from union minister Smriti Zubin Irani. This was his first award for the South Indian actor from the north of India after 20 years of working in the film industry. He was nominated for the trend-setting, cult blockbuster Pushpa, which resonated across India and was celebrated by moviegoers all over the country.
On Thursday, the 40-year-old star took to Instagram Stories to pen a sweet note, thanking CNN News18 and Smriti Irani for doing the honours. He wrote, ” I would like to thank CNN News18 for honouring me as Indian of the Year. And I thank Smriti Irani Ji for doing the honours. Humbled.
Check out his post below:
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Speaking of Allu Arjun’s film Pushpa, it was the first to break the post-pandemic lull in theatres, grossing Rs 365 crore. Accepting the award, Arjun gave a new twist to a famous dialogue from Pushpa“Indian cinema, India kabhi jhukega nahin (Indian cinema, India will never bow down).”
He added: “I’ve been working in the film industry for 20 years now. I’ve received many awards in the south, this is the first time I’m ever receiving an award from the north so it’s very special for me.
He took the opportunity to talk about cross-culture cinema, and the increasing acceptance of regional cinema in a market dominated by the Hindi film industry. “All of us are stepping into a pan-India zone. We are being exposed to regional cinema,” Arjun said.
The Sarrainodu star said India’s strength was in its diversity and he was glad that he had won this award despite the numerous differences between the north and the south when it came to language and culture. He said, “I am very glad, that we do have our differences… like north and south… but you know the beauty of this country is the diversity. When this movie was made, it was celebrated by India, so we are all sons and daughters of the Indian film industry. We’re proud that it’s Indian cinema’s victory and that we could provide service to the country with entertainment in these tough times.”
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