Nithiin tasted success a couple of years before Allu Arjun did. Nithiin's Jayam was a blockbuster. Bunny had to wait till 2004 (for Arya) to attain that level of popularity. His first film, Gangotri, worked because of its songs and commercial formula story.
Producer Dil Raju, then a budding producer, worked with both actors in the early stages of their career. Dil was Dil Raju's debut movie. When Dil became a hit, Dil Raju felt that the actor would become a big star one day. A year later, when the producer teamed up with Allu Arjun for Arya, he had similar expectations from Bunny. "In my assessment, you both were to attain similar levels of stardom. But you haven't been able to reach that mark," Dil Raju told Nithiin in a freewheeling chit-chat yesterday, comparing him with the Pushpa actor.
Allu Arjun's image was solidified by his excellent dancing talent and his ability to pull off action movies like Sarrainodu, Race Gurram and the Pushpa duology. Nithiin has mostly done safe commercial movies minus high-octane action. Also, he had a very lean patch until ISHQ in 2012. Bunny's career has never seen any upheavals in his career.
