Pushpa - The Rise - loggerheads

 

Pushpa

Telugu, 2021

Writer/Director - Sukumar

Stars - Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, Rashmika Mandanna, Sunil, Dhananjay, Ajay Ghosh, Rao Ramesh

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐

Red Sanders, or Red Sandalwood, as it is sometimes known, is endemic to only one small region of South India.  It is, however, a product very high in demand, being used from everything from fine musical instruments to fragrant incense.  Hence, as with everything else which involves money, an illegal syndicate has been smuggling it.

Starting off as a peon in the gang, Pushpa tells the story of how the title character cheats, connives, and murders his way to the top of the Sandal Smugglers.  Like KGF, it is the characterization of one man, and Mr. Allu Arjun does a fine job at portraying the character.  While there is some room for his usual wit, mischief, and talented dancing, most of the story conveys his serious side, portraying someone who is driven by anger to prove that, despite being the illegitimate son to a powerful don, he deserves his fair share, if not more.

The rest of the cast stumbles in and off the screen so much, however, we would need a scorecard to keep track of who they are, leave alone how they fit into the story.  And, this is where, like in all mass-production Telugu films, things get whacky.  The director is working with a storyboard, not a plot, and hence no one character can be developed or understood.  It feels like a throw of the dice whether one lives or dies, and no time is spent on anyone for us to care.  This cold brutality is visceral throughout the countless scenes of throats being slit, bones being broken, and people being shot in the head.  We begin to question our sanity at why we are watching this film, until Mr. Faasil arrives.

This is when the movie becomes tightly wound, beautifully acted, realistically tense.  There are not two men at odds here, there are two huge egos, battling it out in a never-ending game of cat and mouse.  Had the plot brought Mr. Faasil's character in earlier, we could have actually enjoyed this film.  But, he comes in at the end, when there are no more new mobsters to introduce or kill off, and the leading lady has had her 15 minutes on the screen.  This makes the ending meaningless - if only to leave room for the sequel.