It was not the first time that Sukumar shared the anecdote. But when his second home production's release was being celebrated on Saturday, it was an important occasion for him to share it once again. He was talking about 'His Hero'. And the hero Allu Arjun was flanking him, smiling with no trace of vanity.

Sukumar recounted an anecdote involving him and Bunny. "I happened to drown in a river during the shooting of 'Arya'. While everybody was watching me, Bunny didn't care for the consequences and immediately jumped into the river to save me. Since I didn't know swimming, I was helplessly pulling him down. He would have died because of me and I too would have been killed. It was such a dangerous situation. Since he saved my life, Bunny is my real hero. He became a hero because of me," the ace director said, topping the anecdote in a lighter-veined fashion.

Sukumar, then a debutante, would go on to become one of Tollywood's best directors.