Pushpa: The Rise

Sukumar's story is a case of old wine in a new bottle. The idea of a man who rises from nothing and turns into a crime lord has been beaten to death in many films. Sukumar, however, adds his touch and introduces certain powerful characters to keep the interest going. Sukumar's screenplay is topnotch. He has infused excellent entertaining and thrilling moments and ensures that viewers get their money’s worth. He compensates for the clichéd storyline with the jungle and red sandalwood smuggling setting. This factor helps the film to stand out as something of this sort has rarely been seen in our films. Rajendra Sapre’s Hindi dialogues are terrific and add to the fun quotient. Special mention should also go to dubbing director Abul Hasan Ansari as the dub has been carried out very neatly.

At three-hour-long, Pushpa manages to stay engaging for the most part and never makes sitting through the film tiring. It’s a character-driven story and Sukumar needs to be lauded for effectively establishing the character of Pushpa, whose growth couldn’t have been handled more satisfyingly. The only minor issue with the writing is that the hero, who’s meant to win in the end like in most stories, has no stakes in the game and nothing to lose, which sort of makes him invincible and the film’s multiple antagonists, powerless. Even the inclusion of Fahadh Faasil, who will apparently get a meatier part in the second film, doesn't create the kind of impact most would’ve anticipated. Despite the crowd-pleasing confrontation scenes between Allu Arjun and Fahadh Faasil, the film’s end is slightly underwhelming.

Pushpa, the film, is engaging even though it doesn't have anything new to offer. Keeping aside the commercial elements and presence of slo-mo shots, Pushpa is basically a gangster thriller with red sandalwood smuggling as the subplot. However, Pushpa has enough substance to keep you engrossed in the story. Thanks to Allu Arjun's immersive performance, that is. The screenplay is probably Sukumar's weakest so far. While Allu Arjun's character is fleshed out properly, other characters are unidimensional and don't create an impact. Allu Arjun's character Pushpa is given a few character traits, like his twang or how he lifts his left shoulder. Though these are given much importance, it doesn't really add to the character as a whole. That said, Allu Arjun has completely surrendered himself to Sukumar and it is visible in every frame. Right from his dialogue delivery to him displaying his varied emotions, he has delivered one of his best performances.

Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna’s latest flick Pushpa: The Rise – Part 1is a complete package of story, romance, comedy, mass scenes and good direction. Sukumar has hit the right chords with the backdrop of the movie and the tone of the film. Allu Arjun clearly shoulders the movie throughout with his acting and dialogue delivery. His transformation for the role is surely commendable and his efforts do pay off in the film. There are some typical Allu Arjun scenes thrown here and there in the film and is a sheer joy for his fans to watch the ‘Icon’ star to walk and perform his action in slow motion with the right amount of massy elements added to the scenes.

Allu Arjun walks away with the film with his strong performance. He embraces his deglamorized look and delivers a memorable performance. He also tickles our funny bone with his bromance with his sidekick. The women in this tale, however, firmly remain within the grasp of stereotypes. Rashmika Mandanna’s Srivalli gets a promising introduction but along the way, she loses her independence and happily settles at the feet of Pushpa. Anasuya Bharadwaj’s Dakshayani gets to perform a reimagination of the “Wake Up Henry” scene from Goodfellas as she sits on the top of her husband, ready to slit his throat. But, it doesn’t mean anything or adds to the overall dynamics. Then we have Fahadh Faasil’s Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat. We get to see very little of him in this movie as he only appears in the last act, just when Pushpa thinks he is unchallengeable.