Allu Arjun has been having a massive fan base in Kerala since the early 2000s, especially since the release of films such as Arya and Happy, and his films were dubbed before their release in the state. Therefore, it might not appear too strange for Malayali audiences when a young actor from Kerala say that they watched Allu Arjun films dubbed in Malayalam without knowing that they are actually Telugu films. In a recent conversation with Gulte, actor Anaswara Rajan said that she thought that Allu Arjun was "one of the Malayalam actors," because he was a prominent part of the popular culture back in Kerala during her childhood. Interestingly, the actor, who is making her Telugu debut with Champion, said that this was not strictly the case with Allu Arjun alone and that she watched Malayalam dubbed versions of Telugu films for a long time without even realising their origin.
The actor said that the first time she realised that she was watching a Telugu film was with SS Rajamouli's 2009 film Magadheera, starring Ram Charan and Kajal Aggarwal, among others. Interestingly, the first Telugu film that Anaswara saw in her life is Sri Rama Rajayam, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna and Nayanthara, among others.
The actor's first film in Telugu, Champion, co-starring Roshann Meka and directed by Pradeep Advaitham, is slated for a Christmas release. She was recently seen in the Malayalam thriller Rekhachithram, co-starring Asif Ali.
