Pushpa movie review: Out-an-out Allu Arjun show from start to finish; Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil have precious little to do

Movie: Pushpa
Pushpa Cast: Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Dhanunjay, Rao Ramesh, Suneel, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Ajay Ghosh
Pushpa Director: Sukumar
Where to Watch: In Theatres
Review by: BollywoodLife

Sukumar has a fantastic record as a Director both at the box office as also with critics. Of the seven feature-length films he has so far helmed, only one, the Mahesh Babu starrer, 1: Nenokkadine, has so far flopped, while five are bonafide clean hits. His track record with Allu Arjun is even more impressive – their first collaboration, Arya (also, Sukumar's directorial debut) was a blockbuster, while the sequel, Arya 2, was also commercially successful. Now, 2 years later, the combo is back, with the music composer of those two films, Devi Sri Prasad also joining them for added measure. Does the trio rekindle the magic. Well, not quite, but that's not to say Pushpa doesn't offer an entertaining time in the theatre.

So, are you excited about what to watch this weekend or what to watch this week and wondering whether Pushpa: The Rise is worth your time? Scroll down for my full Pushpa The Rise review... 

What's it about

Pushpa Raj (Allu Arjun), a daily wage labourer, working for the triumvirate of Konda Reddy, Jali Reddy and Jakka Reddy, aids his bosses in illegal smuggling of costly red sandalwood, and soon circumvents to the top as a partner of the Reddy brothers. Life is good till threatening forces emerge in the form of Mangalam Srinu (Suneel) and Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat (Fahadh Faasil), who together pose a great risk of tearing down the syndicate.

What's hot

Pushpa is Allu Arjun and Allu Arjun is Pushpa. He not only completely inhabits the character, but also lives, breathes and exists for Pushpa Raj. It doesn't feel like he was born to play it, but rather, was born in the jungle, smuggling red sandalwood since a young age, and being at loggerheads with government authorities, before he portrayed the same things on screen. The music and background score by Devi Sri Prasad is top notch, with Samantha Ruth Prabhu's item song, Oo Antava, being the highlight. Mirosław Kuba Brożek's camerawork is also a thing of rustic beauty, capturing the milieu in all its breathtaking hostility.

What's not

Not since 1: Nenokkadine has Sukumar had issuess with his screenplay as he faces over here. Thankfully, unlike Nenokkadine, his direction still manages to keep things moving along even when the screenplay appears drab. There are huge portions that ad nothing to the film, and both Sukumar, and editors Karthika Srinivas and Ruben, are culpable for dragging them all out till the film reaches an unholy duration of 3 hours. However, even had they wanted to, the confrontational scenes between Icon Star aka Stylish Star and Fahadh Faasil couldn't be culled away, which end up being a total letdown after all the hype. Rashmika Mandanna and Allu Arjun's romantic track is also quite tepid.

BL Verdict

We wouldn't say Pushpa is strictly for Allu Arjun diehard fans as the movie does have quite a bit going on for neutral views, too, across demographics. However, it does much more to cement Bunny (Allu Arjun's nickname) as a proper pan-India star rather than stamp the movie as a pan-India film everyone would go gaga about. I'm going with 3 out of 5 stars

Rating : 3 out of 5