Polaki Vijay, the choreographer of ‘Pushpa Pushpa’ song in Pushpa 2, shared how he came up with the viral ‘chai’ step for the film’s leading man Allu Arjun.
Allu Arjun’s latest release Pushpa 2-The Rule is unstoppable at the box office. Worldwide, the Sukumar directorial has already crossed Rs 1000 Crore mark and has emerged as the highest grossing film in the Telugu star’s career.
Prior the film’s release, when the makers dropped the popular ‘Pushpa Pushpa’ song featuring Allu Arjun, fans went crazy over the actor’s dance moves especially the part where he is seen holding a tea glass. In a recent chat with News 18 Showsha, the track’s choreographer Polaki Vijay opened up on how he came up with the idea for this viral hook step.
He shared, “In Pushpa: The Rise, there was a scene where Bunny sir dipped a bun into a glass of tea. And that became my inspiration for the step in Pushpa Pushpa. I thought, why can’t we create a step with a tea glass? That’s how it was born. Watching it, the audiences were shocked and in a frenzy.”
Vijay recalled Allu Arjun’s reaction when he first saw the step and said, “Bunny sir slapped the table and said, ‘Superb! This is awesome, master. Let’s go for this!”
He continued, “The first step I came up with was the one with a phone. Bunny sir along with Suku sir had a whale of a time watching us do the phone, the tea glass and the show drop steps. So, I thought to myself that if they’re enjoying it so much, how much fun will the audiences have watching it on the big screen! The fan reactions have made me very, very happy.”
The choreographer also revealed that the ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’ star left the entire set ‘awestruck’ when he pulled off the tea glass step in a single take.
“He pulled off the tea glass step in a single take! He came to the set, told me to show it to him once and immediately went for the take. The whole set was awe-struck and in shock. We were all clapping. He owned all the steps in the song. He infuses a lot of style within the choreography keeping the audience’s expectations and reactions in mind,” shared Vijay who also choreographed ‘Sooseki’ and ‘Gango Renuka Thalli’ in Pushpa 2.
Further, he also added that it was challenging to make sure that Allu Arjun’s Pushpa never goes out of character even while dancing.
“Do you remember the euphoria his tilted shoulder posture in Pushpa: The Rise gave rise to? In this film, he uses both of his hands to create the Thaggedele gesture and we had to incorporate all of his signature movements in the song. Suku (Sukumar; director) sir told me that these elements and gestures are very important as they’re an intrinsic part of Pushpa’s personality,” he was quoted as saying.
Pushpa 2-The Rule also has Rashmika Mandanna reprising her role of Srivalli alongside Allu Arjun. Fahadh Faasil essays the role of the antagonist.
