Pushpa

Pushpa Movie Review

Cast: Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Dhanunjay, Rao Ramesh, Sunil, Anasuya, Ajay Ghosh and others.

Music: Devi Sri Prasad

Cinematography: Miroslaw Kuba Brozek

Editor: Karthik Srinivas & Ruben

Producers: Naveen Yerneni, Y Ravi Shankar

Writer - Director: Sukumar

The super hit combination of Allu Arjun and Sukumar joined forces after more than a decade for 'Pushpa'. Unlike their previous two outings, they made a rustic film and it raised the expectations right from the beginning. The first part of 'Pushpa' hit the screens today amidst humongous hype. Let us dive into the review straight away.

Story

Pushparaj (Allu Arjun) starts off as a daily worker who has a very high ambition. His biggest strengths are his attitude and intelligence. Within a short time, he goes from a daily worker to a transporter and soon becomes the partner of a big shot Konda Reddy (Ajay Ghosh) in red sanders smuggling. He falls for Srivalli (Rashmika) who earns a living through the dairy business. Despite growing big as a smuggler with each passing day, Pushpa has a dissatisfaction which is lack of a surname. As he goes to the top, Pushpa makes a lot of enemies. How he handles them and becomes the major target of Bhairav Singh Shekhawat (Fahadh Fasil) forms the rest of the story.

Analysis:

Ever since the film was announced, 'Pushpa' had a lot riding on it. It was the super hit combo of Bunny and Sukumar who delivered the 'Arya' series. Also, Allu Arjun gave a stupendous hit like 'Ala Vaikunthapuramlo' and 'Pushpa' is Sukumar's immediate film after a cult classic like 'Rangasthalam'. While it was a tough challenge for Bunny to turn into a rugged guy in a rustic film after a soft entertainer like 'Ala Vaikunthapuramlo', Sukumar had to cross the standards which he had set for himself with 'Rangasthalam'. It is quite evident that Sukumar has a tougher task and he definitely falls short of expectations. Ever since the release of the first look, people compared it with 'Rangasthalam' and it turned out to be the biggest bane for 'Pushpa'. Knowing the potential of Sukumar and his brilliance, people expected a lot from 'Pushpa'. Despite delivering a good product in the end, he definitely fell short of expectations. The audience are bound to expect some twists in a Sukku film which surprise them but he churns out a predictable tale as you can even expect the kind of dialogue Bunny will be delivering in the next scene. He showcased his mark in the scenes related to the smuggling of red sanders and a few confrontation sequences between hero and various villains throughout the movie. He is in top form during these portions and they are definitely the biggest assets of 'Pushpa'.

But Sukumar disappointed the audience in many parts of the film but it is Allu Arjun who took the front seat and dragged the film past the finishing line. The star delivered one of his best performances till date and he elevated a lot of scenes with his tremendous acting. He gave more than his 100% and lifted the entire movie. Even when Sukumar excelled as the writer and director, it is Allu Arjun who walks away with all the plaudits. He is the heart and soul of 'Pushpa' and even Sukumar seems to have put all his efforts into making Pushpraj as a cult character.

Seems like Sukumar showcased his love for Allu Arjun through 'Pushparaj' but he lost focus on the other characters in this process. None of the villains pose a threat to the protagonist and he rises to the top with not many difficulties. Seems like Sukumar forgot the basic rule of having a strong antagonist which helps in elevating the heroism to a whole new level. There are a lot of high points in 'Pushpa' which will be a feast to the masses. But most of the whistle-worthy moments are confined to the first half and even Samantha's special song is included in the initial one and a half hour itself which made the second half quite dull.

Barring a stylish action sequence followed by a meeting scene, the entire second half runs at a snail pace. The enthusiasm of the audience is brought down drastically and the long runtime works against this much-awaited film. Things pick up when Fahad Faasil makes an entry and things take a dramatic turn from there. The police station scene and the ending confrontation scene featuring Bunny and Fahadh Faasil create a lot of interest. Sukumar shows his prowess once again and Sukumar ends the movie on a high thereby announcing 'Pushpa - The Rule'.

'Pushpa' is definitely worth a watch thanks to Allu Arjun's tremendous work and ample mass scenes that entertain everyone. The slow screenplay in the second half and lengthy runtime are its biggest drawbacks but it is a film to be enjoyed on the big screens.

Performances

'Pushpa' starts and ends with Allu Arjun. As said earlier, he is the heart and soul of this movie and he is terrific. The way in which he molded himself and got into the skin of Pushparaj's character deserves a lot of applause. It is the career-best performance of Bunny and it is safe to say that no one can portray this role better than him. He carried the film on his shoulders and will be the biggest reason for the film's success if it breaks any records.

Fahadh Faasil shows his typical style and mannerism. He lifts the proceedings towards the end and people will be eager to watch the face-off between Pushparaj and Bhairav Singh Shekhawat.

Rashmika Mandanna looks good and did a decent job. She doesn't have much to do and her hard work in practicing the dialect is not visible on the screen. Ajay Ghosh fitted the role of the villain perfectly and Sunil's look is quite impressive though his character is not etched properly. He becomes useless after a grand introduction scene. Anasuya gets a minor role and we need to see if she gets more screen space in the second part or not. Dhanunjay and Shatru are adequate for their roles but it is 'Palasa' fame Jagadish who steals the show. As the friend of Allu Arjun, he is the memorable character after hero. He is doing a fantastic job. The rest of the actors are okay.

Technicians:

'Pushpa' stands tall in terms of technical values. Despite a few botches due to hurried post-production work, the visuals look top-notch. Cinematographer Miroslaw Kuba Brozek deserves a special mention. He keeps things quite raw and rustic to suit the mood of the film. He conveyed a lot through his camera work and complemented Sukumar's vision. Devi Sri Prasad gave very good songs but it is his background music that leaves a lot to be desired. He elevated the interval and climax with his RR but he disappoints when compared to his previous works. Resul Pookutty's sound mixing is nice but his work doesn't stand out. The set work is amazing. The locations and frames look quite natural. The editing is decent but the long duration is the biggest drawback of this film. A few romantic portions in the second half could have been chopped.

Coming to Sukumar, 'Pushpa - The Rise' is one of his weaker works. He doesn't live up to the expectations. His mark is visible in the hero character designing, confrontations scenes with villains and the red sanders smuggling scenes. He set the stage perfectly for the second part but the star director's work had a lot of flaws. He needs to deliver big time when it comes to 'Pushpa - The Rule'.

Verdict: 'Pushpa' - Raises High But Falls Later!

Rating: 2.75/5

Disclaimer : This Review is An Opinion of One Person. Please Do Not Judge The Movie Based On This Review And Watch Movie in Theatre