NEW STARS RISING

Pushpa stars Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna emerge at the No. 3 spot in the No. 1 actor/actress stakes, but cannot dislodge the royals-Big B, SRK or Deepika Padukone

- SUHANI SINGH

Pushpa fire nahin, wildfire hai (Pushpa is not fire, it's wildfire)," says Allu Arjun's character in Pushpa 2-The Rule, the highest grossing Indian film of all time. It is no surprise, therefore, to see him rise to No. 3 in the India Today Mood of the Nation poll. Amitabh Bachchan, of course, continues to be the eternal flame that shines the brightest. To reign supreme, the veteran doesn't even need to be as prolific as Akshay Kumar (No. 5) or charm audiences like Shah Rukh Khan (No. 2). The masses are still under the spell of the 82-year-old's cinematic stature. Behind him after a sizeable gap comes Shah Rukh 'Badshah' Khan. SRK didn't have a release last year and will be missing from the big screen in 2025, but that's irrelevant, for he is a master at the game of staying relevant by being seen, whether at the IPL matches of Kolkata Knight Riders, or supporting son Aryan at a Netflix India shindig.