South Indian superstar Allu Arjun, known today as one of India’s most prominent actors, took a rare moment to reflect on a difficult chapter in his life. Speaking at the Waves Summit 2025 in Mumbai on May 1, the Pushpa star opened up about navigating failure, seeking professional help, and how solitude became his greatest teacher.
‘Decided to take a six-month-long break’
After the blockbuster success of Sarrainodu in 2016, Arjun faced unexpected setbacks with DJ and Naa Peru Surya, both underperforming at the box office. “I scored a massive flop with Naa Peru Surya. Just a few months before the film’s release, there were so many well-wishers of mine advising me about my career. I was so complacent that I stopped taking advice. I felt everything was going in the right direction until I fell flat on my face and decided to take a six-month-long break,” he admitted.
That planned six-month pause eventually stretched into over a year. “I planned to take a six-month gap but accidentally it happened, you know, it happened accidentally it happened to be about 12- to 13-month break, but I was planning for a 7 to 8 months break and I wanted to introspect myself and I wanted to take time off and I took a year off – almost a year – by accident, though,” he explained.
‘I think solitude is the best teacher’
During this time, Arjun chose to invest in himself, not just creatively, but personally. He turned to professional coaching to guide his comeback. “I did spend a lot of time by myself. I think solitude is the best teacher. I believe in taking help. I believe in taking professional help. I had professional coaches at me. I had, what do you call, like a leadership coach,” he shared candidly.
The actor didn’t stop there, also working with coaches across different aspects of his life. “And also I had another family coach, and I also had someone who’s personally working on me on many different aspects, and that didn’t give me a lot of introspection, and I think everybody should have a coach in their life and get coached,” he recalled.
This phase of introspection and guidance ultimately paved the way for his big return with Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, a film that went on to become one of Telugu cinema’s biggest hits.
