Movie | Pushpa: The Rise—Part 1| Reviews and Download

In summary, the film starts off with lots of action, settles down into an entertaining blend of emotion, drama, and humor, and then goes on an endless spree of violence (which, in cinematic parlance simply means an unpalatable amount of action) with dollops of melodrama and exorbitant song sequences interspersed.

Speaking of intermissions, the actual intermission follows what seems like an age and signals to us that the show must continue - for a very long time. Pushpa: The Rise - Part 1 concludes with a gateway to Part 2, which runs for 179 minutes total. Just 15 minutes or so before the end, we are introduced to a new antagonist - a cop named Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat played by Fahadh Faasil. We are told he will be the main enemy of the hero in the conclusive part.

After dubbed into four more languages (I watched it in Hindi, of course), the Telugu film reveals itself as an orchestra of violence under the guise of entertainment. The antisocial side of the story (a coolie-cum-truck driver who became a smuggler, murdering cops as if they were all evil) is presented as graphically as when he kills the 'baddies' among the villains (!). A lot of focus is given to his romantic side (with a simple village girl, Srivalli, portrayed by a de-glam Rashmika Mandanna).

Pushpa's back story is justified and heightened by his half-brothers depriving him of his rights as an illegitimate son, so his mother is referred to as a mere "mistress". Pushpa, who lives in Andhra Pradesh's Seshachalam Hills, proves not only how efficient he is at smuggling red sanders wood illegally from the forest, but he also dreams of bigger things.

By outsmarting cop Govindappa (Shatru) and hiding the contraband from his team of searchers, he earns the trust of Konda Reddy (Ajay Ghosh). In the end, all the men involved in the smuggling face off.

Although racy and "masala" oriented against a rustic background, the movie is very predictable, and the sheer volume of the relentless mayhem finally leads to ennui. There are countless numbers of heads and bodies smashed and sliced, limbs broken and weapons used endlessly.

Thus, Pushpa... comes across as one of those movies that develop their lead character with the intent to idolize him, and everything else becomes secondary, read comparatively unimportant. Both Allu Arjun and Shreyas Talpade have done a great job dubbing the Hindi version of the film. Despite the dark shades, the laidback guy with mannerisms and a quirky way of speaking is a very likeable character in the first half, but the sheer length kills him. Although Arjun dazzles in the song sequences, not all of which are romantic, his love track is weak.

As for the music, Devi Sri Prasad's songs, which are always studded with catchy hooks and refrains, lift the film despite Raqueeb Alam's (Hindi) makeshift lyrics.

There is a volley of predictable performances from the supporting cast, whether as villains, comics (Sunil Varma as Pushpa's sidekick) or "emotional" as with Pushpa's mother.

Filmmaking is gritty and evokes the aroma and feel of the region (Polish DOP Mirosaw Kuba Broek shines in rural Indian milieu), but the same cannot be said for editing (Kartika Srinivas & Ruben). The action (Lakshman Chella, Ram Chella, Peter Hein) gets major footage, as expected.

The film's "Rise" would have benefited greatly from keeping the length crisp. At the moment, Pushpa: The Rise-Part 1 is perfect fare for fans of Allu Arjun and the (many) purists of South Indian masala films. It is likely that the film will do well in the rest of the country (and abroad), but only because the pan-Indian Mumbai film industry is losing its grip on its audience.

Rating: **1/2 (out of 5)

Produced by: Naveen Yemeni and Y. Ravi Shankar. Written and directed by: Sukumar. Music by: Devi Sri Prasad. Starring: Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Fahadh Faasil, Dhananjay, Sunil, Ajay Ghosh, Rao Ramesh, Jagadeesh Prathap Bandara, Shatru, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Ajay, Sritej, Mime Gopi, Brahmaji, Malavika Wales, Sp. App.: Samantha Ruth Prabhu & others.

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