Who is the Hero of the Year? Is it Prabhas or Allu Arjun?
The debate continues, but the most talked-about hero of the year in Indian cinema is undoubtedly Allu Arjun—both due to the success of Pushpa 2 and the controversy surrounding his arrest, followed by the tragic stampede at Sandhya Theatre, which resulted in the death of a woman during the premiere show.
Coming to Prabhas, he achieved massive pan-India success with his film Kalki 2898 AD, which was released in June 2024.
The box office collections were tremendous, and the movie achieved a massive feat by grossing around Rs1200 crore worldwide.
On the other hand, Allu Arjun, who released Pushpa 2: The Rule in December 2024, rewrote box office records, especially in the Hindi belt, setting new milestones.
The film became the highest-grossing Hindi movie in the history of Indian cinema in the domestic region.
By the end of 2024, the film had made gross collections close to Rs1700 crore worldwide and is still running.
Apart from this success, Allu Arjun also made headlines due to the controversy surrounding his arrest and the tragic death of a woman during the stampede at Sandhya Talkies.
The police filed a case, and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy spoke about the incident in the Assembly, criticizing the actor's alleged irresponsibility. This incident drew national attention.
While the pan-India success of Pushpa 2 brought widespread acclaim, it also led to pan-India controversy.
The issue was somewhat resolved after compensation was provided to the family of the deceased, but the case is still pending, and the law must take its own course.
On the whole, for both good and bad reasons, Allu Arjun is the Hero of the Year from Tollywood, given the kind of news columns he dominated this year.