Pushpa: The Rise (2021) Review: The Making of a Mass Icon

Is Pushpa: The Rise worth watching?

Yes, with reservations. Pushpa: The Rise is a swaggering, stylish crime saga that turned its hero into a pan-Indian phenomenon, and Allu Arjun’s performance alone makes it worth seeing. Sukumar gives the film a gritty, earthy texture unusual for a Telugu star vehicle, and the songs are irresistible. The reservations are its length and a repetitive middle section that circles the same conflicts rather than building on them.

What is Pushpa: The Rise about?

Pushpa Raj (Allu Arjun) is a daily-wage labourer in the forests of Andhra Pradesh, where valuable red sandalwood is illegally felled and smuggled. Proud, quick-witted and fiercely resentful of being denied his father’s family name, he takes a job carrying logs for a smuggling ring and soon proves too clever and too fearless to stay at the bottom.

As he rises through the trade, Pushpa makes enemies among the gang bosses who control it and draws the attention of the police. Along the way, he falls for Srivalli (Rashmika Mandanna), a young woman from his village, while trying to build an empire of his own.

Pushpa: The Rise is directed by Sukumar and made in Telugu, with dubbed versions that found huge audiences across India. It runs 179 minutes and co-stars Fahadh Faasil, Sunil, Anasuya Bharadwaj and Dhananjay. Allu Arjun won the National Film Award for Best Actor for the role.

Allu Arjun builds a character from the body up

Allu Arjun’s transformation is the film’s great achievement. With a hunched shoulder, a rough beard, a rolling gait and a thick regional accent, he creates a hero who looks and sounds like a man from the forests rather than a polished film star. Pushpa’s catchphrases, gestures and defiant attitude became cultural phenomena, and it is easy to see why: Arjun plays him with a mix of arrogance, humour and wounded pride that makes him magnetic.

The film’s rural setting is also a strength. The forests, villages and rivers of the smuggling routes give the story a raw, grounded texture, and the action, from chases through the trees to brawls in the mud, has a physical, bruising quality.

Songs and a rival worth waiting for

Devi Sri Prasad’s soundtrack is a major part of the film’s appeal. Songs such as Srivalli and Saami Saami became huge hits, and the music gives the film a swagger and energy that carry it through slower stretches.

Fahadh Faasil, as the police officer Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat, makes a strong impression despite limited screen time. His sly, arrogant officer is a perfect counterweight to Pushpa, and their clash of egos gives the film a spark that sets up the sequel. Rashmika Mandanna is lively as Srivalli, though the romance feels secondary to the story of Pushpa’s rise.

A rise that stalls in the middle

At nearly three hours, the film is long, and the middle section drags. The pattern of new consignments, new rivals and new humiliations becomes repetitive, and the romance often feels like a distraction from the main story. Some of the villains are broadly drawn, and the treatment of women, including the romance itself, has drawn criticism for its dated attitudes. The film also ends on a setup for the sequel rather than a full resolution.

Who should watch Pushpa: The Rise?

It is for fans of Telugu mass cinema, Allu Arjun and larger-than-life crime sagas. Plan for a full evening, and be prepared for a slower middle section. Expect frequent violence, some of it bloody, as well as strong language and adult themes, making it suitable for older teenagers and adults.

Related viewing:

• Pushpa 2: The Rule, the sequel, which is bigger, louder and even longer.
• RRR, S. S. Rajamouli’s spectacular Telugu epic, which shares Pushpa’s larger-than-life heroism.
• Baahubali: The Beginning, the film that launched the modern pan-Indian blockbuster era.

The verdict

Pushpa: The Rise is an entertaining, flawed crime drama built around one of the most memorable heroes in recent Indian cinema. Its length and repetitive middle section hold it back, but Allu Arjun’s performance, the music and the gritty setting make it a compelling watch.

Rating: 3.5/5