Pushpa: The Rise Chapter 1 Movie Review

Allu Arjun’s charisma has always made him the most favourite and adorable star of Pan-Indian audiences. He is one among the rarest actors to enjoy the privilege of his dubbed movies getting more views on Satellite channels and OTT platforms. Not to miss his previous blockbuster Ala Vaikunthapuram Lo that didn’t work wonders in the box office with the Telugu version, but just became a raging hit in all the other regional languages as well. This should have prompted the makers of the Pushpa: The Rise Chapter 1 to get the film released in Tamil.

Set against the backdrops of the 80s, Pushpa (Allu Arjun) is seen smuggling Red Sandalwood for the bigwigs in the neighborhood. As he steps out to establish his empire, the hurdles he faces and how he beats overcomes them by stamping down the herculean competitors is the crux of the story.

Having said that the film is getting released in two parts, the first installment titled Pushpa: The Rise Chapter 1 offers everything that Allu Arjun fans have expected. The film has a running length of 3 hours, but it doesn’t get tedious during major portions. In fact, the first hour proceeds at a brisk pace. To make sure that the film doesn’t fall into the league of movies based on dark world politics (Say, for instance, Ram Gopal Varma’s Rattha Charitha), which completely focuses only on the main plot, director Sukumar has tried making it commercial. Be it the flashback sequences that reveal the reason behind Pushpa’s lifted shoulder or the emotional hurdles with his step-brothers, mother’s bonding, it keeps us closer to the characterization. Even the romantic scenes are done neatly, though Rashmika Mandanna is not so much enticing to watch out for. In many places, her attire and mannerisms remind us of Samantha’s role in Rangasthalam. Having spoken about ‘Samantha’, her song has been shot excellently, which should the audiences in complete scream mode in theaters. But what keeps everyone waiting and a little disappointed is the delayed arrival of Fahadh Faasil, who terrorizes by his magnetic screen presence. The second part is going to be racier with the clash between Allu and Fahadh characters.

Cinematography is neatly done, especially; the forest locations are beautifully captured. The musical score by Devi Sri Prasad is enjoyable. Director Sukumar’s screenwriting deserves special mention as he keeps gifting the fans, the mass hero-worship elements now and then. If the portions involving Rashmika Mandanna were trimmed a bit in the second half, then it would have been more engaging.

On the whole, Pushpa: The Rise Chapter 1 is a 100% Paisa vasool movie for the producers.