Aarya

Sukumar's first film, from 2004, arrived with a proposition that inverted the Telugu romantic hero. Aarya is a carefree student who declares his love for Geetha the moment he sees her, and does it in front of her boyfriend. She refuses him flatly, and the film does not end there; that is where it starts. Aarya does not treat rejection as an obstacle and claims to put the happiness of the person he loves ahead of his own. Whether that stance is love or fixation is the most argued-over thing about the film today. It is the role that opened Allu Arjun's career, and Devi Sri Prasad's songs were among the most played of the period. Who it's for: viewers curious about 2000s Telugu cinema and unconventional hero constructions. Who it's not for: anyone troubled by narratives that romanticise persistent pursuit; the film draws that criticism heavily now.