The lyrics pretend to attack, but the song, the video, the situation… it all aims to please. The big item song, ‘ Ooh antaava’, is hardly the subversion many imagined it to be. The women are largely bystanders and victims, and while that might well be a commentary of the oppressive world around them, some of the film’s choices show that its view isn’t perhaps so well-intended.
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Sure, he’s comparatively kind to women (and that’s barely saying anything), but does it necessarily make him worthy of cinematic adoration? Does the film love him because he’s so full of smarts? Perhaps it’s because he’s fearless? Or maybe on account of his unquenchable thirst for power, which Srivalli (Rashmika) bemoans? What does it say of this film that across its indulgent three-hour runtime, there’s no real exploration of this man’s flaws, of his emotionally stunted nature, which Srivalli assumes the best of? I felt the uncomfortable dissonance of watching a murderous smuggler being presented as a mass hero worthy of adulation.
Unlike in the Kashyap films though, there’s just a single protagonist here and played by a celebrated star to boot.
In Wasseypur-esque fashion, we also see that there are barely any decent men in this universe (a police inspector is an exception). Who would have thought that the visual of tree logs floating by in a river would result in such entertainment? A vast part of this film’s enjoyment is contained in the pre-interval portions when the filmmaker, whilst ensuring every scene explodes with wit and humour, introduces us to the power hierarchy and the impossibility of rising in such a rigged system. Pushpa climbs into the truck, but not before saying, “I have no plans for the evening anyway.” It’s to Sukumar’s credit that this character never strays from this casual arrogance that defines him.Ĭast: Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, Sunil, Rao Ramesh, RashmikaĪlso to Sukumar’s credit is how he manages to pull off the unenviable job of making a rather dry subject-red sanders-smuggling-so entertaining in unexpected ways. Watch when he willingly participates in a dangerous mission, and someone warns him that there’s a good chance he may not return home that evening. But he perhaps doesn’t realise that we are already invested in Pushpa, largely on account of terrific dialogues, delivered with the rough bite of the Chittoor dialect. He also, rather manipulatively, establishes that Pushpa is an illegitimate child, chiefly, it seems, to win our support. When he seeks a woman, well, he bribes her.ĭirector Sukumar tries to make him accessible by showing him as an underdog at the very bottom of a vicious power hierarchy.
When he seeks to escape from the police, he bribes them.
It’s strange that the man radiating this charm is a violent, selfish brute who believes in shortcuts. And yet, Allu Arjun has internalised this character and plays it with such effortless style that it’s impossible not to buy him, quirks and all. The man has unkempt hair, a peculiar manner of walking with the shoulders rather lopsided, clothes that seem barely washed, and when this man does speak, he aims to sting. Come to think of it, it’s quite strange that we can’t keep our eyes off Pushparaj. Let it be said clearly and loudly that the foremost attraction in Pushpa: The Rise – Part 1 is the characterisation of the protagonist, Pushpa, and in equal parts, the performance of Allu Arjun that’s so casually charismatic.
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