Pushpa: The Rise Review - Power-Packed Saga

Set in the dense forests of Andhra Pradesh’s Seshachalam Hills, the film follows Pushpa Raj (Allu Arjun), a fierce, uneducated daily-wage labourer who claws his way up from obscurity into the dangerous, shadowy world of red sandalwood smuggling. Pushpa begins as a foot soldier for a local syndicate run by Konda Reddy (Ajay Ghosh) and his brutal son Jolly Reddy (Dhananjay). But his raw intelligence, physical grit, and complete disregard for authority soon earn him a reputation. After a daring heist where he single-handedly smuggles a truckload of red sandalwood past police checkpoints, Pushpa is reluctantly inducted as a key player. His rise, however, draws the ire of the local police force, led by the cold, iron-fisted IPS officer Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat (Fahadh Faasil). As Pushpa’s empire expands, his personal life collides with his criminal one-particularly through his volatile relationship with the village girl Srivalli (Rashmika Mandanna), who represents a world of innocence he can never fully belong to. The film ends on a cliffhanger, with Shekhawat vowing to destroy Pushpa, setting the stage for the sequel.

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Sukumar, a director known for his obsessive attention to character nuance (see “Rangasthalam”), here channels his storytelling into a full-bore, crowd-pleasing festival of angst and swagger. The film is visually sumptuous-Mirosław Kuba Brożek’s cinematography paints the forests as both a lush, almost mystical sanctuary and a grimy, lawless battlefield. The production design, from the mud-caked villages to the sterile police stations, grounds the fantasy arc in a tactile, lived-in reality.

But the film’s true sun is Allu Arjun. His transformation into Pushpa-the mannerisms, the swaggering gait, the snarl, the iconic “Thaggede Le” catchphrase-is a masterclass in physical acting. He doesn’t just inhabit the role; he becomes the role, embodying both the vulnerability of a man born into low caste and the volcanic pride that drives him. His performance alone justifies the hype. Rashmika Mandanna, as Srivalli, does what she can with a role that is largely reactive-she’s the emotional anchor, but the script gives her little agency beyond being a love interest and a moral conscience.

Fahadh Faasil, though underused for much of the runtime, steals every scene he’s in. His Shekhawat is a coiled storm of bureaucratic arrogance and repressed fury-a villain who doesn’t just want to catch Pushpa; he wants to break his spirit. Their eventual face-off, short as it is, crackles with tension. The supporting cast-Jagadeesh Bandari as the loyal friend Kesava, Sunil Varma as the scheming Mangalam Srinu, and Anasuya Bharadwaj as the sharp-tongued Dakshayani-does solid work, adding texture to the world.

The action choreography is raw and effective. The fight sequences, especially a brutal hand-to-hand brawl in a riverbed, avoid slickness in favour of visceral impact. The music by Devi Sri Prasad is a mixed bag: the “Srivalli” song is a charming, breezy romantic number, but the “Oo Antava” item track (featuring Samantha) feels shoehorned in for commercial appeal. The background score, however, is thumping and memorable.

Where the film stumbles is in its pacing. At 179 minutes, it’s a bloated beast. The first half meanders through village politics and romance, and the middle act drags with repetitive power struggles. The climax setup feels rushed-the emotional payoff for Pushpa’s relationship with his mother (a key subplot) is underwhelming. And the cliffhanger ending, while effective for a franchise, leaves this film feeling incomplete as a standalone experience.

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Pros

• Allu Arjun’s career-defining performance-mesmerising, charismatic, and utterly believable.
• Fahadh Faasil’s chilling, layered antagonist.
• Gritty, immersive world-building that captures the raw texture of red sandalwood smuggling.
• Stunning cinematography and production design.
• Several electrifying action sequences.
• Strong supporting cast that enriches the narrative.

Cons

• Overlong runtime that sags in the middle.
• Rashmika Mandanna’s role is underwritten and largely a passive love interest.
• The screenplay’s pacing feels uneven, with redundant subplots.
• The item song “Oo Antava” feels forced and disrupts momentum.
• The cliffhanger ending leaves too much unresolved for a single film.

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“Pushpa: The Rise” is a gritty, larger-than-life spectacle driven by a titanic performance from Allu Arjun. It’s not a perfect film-its length, pacing, and unresolved ending hold it back-but as a pure, unapologetic mass entertainer, it delivers in spades. Sukumar’s direction, the immersive setting, and the crackling tension between hero and villain make it a memorable entry in Telugu cinema’s recent renaissance. If you want raw, sweaty, stylish action with a heart that beats red sandalwood, this is your film. Just go in with patience for a story that knows it’s only halfway told.

Rating: 7/10