Pushpa: The Rise Chapter 1 Review
The successful combination of Allu Arjun and director Sukumar dates back to the days of Arya followed by Arya 2, where the duo keeps the fans excited with their projects. Getting on with Pushpa: The Rise Chapter 1, the expectations were beyond the usual Allu Arjun films… Courtesy to his blockbuster hit movie Ala Vaikunthapuram Lo that was a profitable venture in box office and OTT platforms as well. With the film getting dubbed and released in several languages, the expectations for Pushpa: The Rise Chapter 1 got phenomenal. Besides, the inclusion of India’s most fascinating star Fahadh Faasil emblazoned the project to a greater magnitude.
Pushpa (Allu Arjun) kick-starts his journey cutting down Red Sandalwood trees for the Kingpins. With a desire to make his luck and earn big money and prestige, he embarks on a journey to build his kingdom. Well, it’s not that easy as the reigning biggies are ready to curb him down. However, having managed to tackle them hands down, he faces the biggest challenge with the arrival of notorious IPS officer Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat (Fahadh Faasil).
Ever since the success of big franchises like Baahubali and KGF, the makers have found a huge market for movie franchises with 2 chapters. While many movies are getting ready for release in the same paradigm, Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rise (Chapter 1) becomes the latest one to join the league. Director Sukumar’s writing and composing of scenes stands out to be the salient highlight in this movie. A story with such a premise revolving around the competitive male alpha and gang war would obviously leave the audiences drained sans entertainment, but Sukumar blends the emotions, cute romance, and heroism factors to enthrall the crowds. The back story of Pushpa involving his family, the fun-filled romance with his girlfriend, and mind-boggling action sequences make it more engaging. However, the second half looks slightly deviated from the main plot. It looks like an intentional move by the writers to make sure that the arrival of the antagonist happens during the penultimate sequence so that the actual war between the hero and villain gets more footage in the second part.
Allu Arjun does everything to amuse his fans. Well, this time, there isn’t much to do with the fast beat dance moves, but the song with Samantha becomes the icing on the cake. On the other hand, he just leaves us enchanted with his action sequences. It looks like Sukumar wanted to borrow his ‘Rangasthalam’ heroine shades for Rashmika, but it doesn’t suit her. Fahadh Faasil’s arrival happens only by the end of the film, but then, he amazes us with his screen presence. The musical score by Devi Sri Prasad is commendable, and the cinematography is pretty decent. The costumes are worthy of appreciation.
If the second half had some portions cut down, then the raciness would have been retained. However, the momentum bounces back with the entry of Fahadh, and the aftermath scenes approaching climax with an open ending for Part 2 gives a satisfactory impact.
Verdict: A trademark Allu Arjun film that will not disappoint his fans.
Rating: 3/5
