Sukumar Considering Retirement from Cinema After the Success of Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2?

Director Sukumar is currently riding high on the success of Pushpa 2: The Rule, which hit theaters on December 5. Despite the overwhelming response to the film, the celebrated filmmaker has expressed a surprising desire to step away from cinema.

At a recent pre-release event for Game Changer in Dallas, where he was joined by Ram Charan and other celebrities, Sukumar was asked by the host about one thing he’d like to leave behind. Without hesitation, the director responded, “Cinema.”

Upon hearing Sukumar’s response, Ram Charan quickly grabbed the mic and humorously said, “No, that won’t be happening.” The crowd also showed their disapproval of his idea to quit, cheering loudly for the success of Pushpa 2. A video of the moment has since gone viral on social media.

In response to the video, one social media user wrote, “Tollywood will never leave you, @SukumarWritings sir. You’re here to make great films.” Meanwhile, another fan commented, “Not before finishing Pushpa 3: The Rampage!”

At the pre-release event, Sukumar shared with the audience that he had watched Game Changer alongside Chiranjeevi. He enthusiastically praised the film, describing the first half as “incredible.”

“The first half was awesome. The interval was a blockbuster—trust me. The second half, especially the flashback episode, gave me goosebumps. It was phenomenal,” Sukumar remarked. He went on to say, “I enjoyed it as much as Shankar’s Gentleman and Bharateeyudu.”

The director also expressed his strong desire for Ram Charan to win a National Award for his performance in S. Shankar’s upcoming film. Sukumar shared, “I was certain Charan would receive a National Award for Rangasthalam, and so were many others. But watching his portrayal of emotions in the film’s climax, I got that same feeling again. He performed so brilliantly; I’m confident he will definitely win a National Award for this one.” Meanwhile, the much-anticipated Ram Charan and Kiara Advani starrer is set to hit the big screens during the Pongal festivities on January 10.