Pushpa 2: The Rule Cast/Actors: Allu Arjun as Pushpa Raj, Rashmika Mandanna as Srivalli, Fahadh Faasil as Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat IPS, Sreeleela (Cameo), Dayanand Reddy as Munirathnam, Anasuya Bharadwaj as Dakshayani, Divi Vadthya as News Reporter, Sunil as Mangalam Srinu, Rao Ramesh as MP Bhumireddy Siddappa Naidu, Jagapathi Babu as CM Kogatam Veera Pratap, Rajsekhar Aningi as Subba Reddy, Ajay Ghosh as Konda Reddy, Kiran Varanasi as Syndicate Member & others
Pushpa 2: The Rule Movie Director: Sukumar
Pushpa 2: The Rule Movie Production House: Mythri Movie Makers & Sukumar Writings
Pushpa 2: The Rule Movie Release Date: 5th December, 2024
Pushpa 2: The Rule Movie Available On: Theatrical Release and (likely to be released on Netflix OTT Platform)
Pushpa 2: The Rule Movie Released/ Available In Languages: Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam & Bengali
Pushpa 2: The Rule Movie Runtime: 3h 15m
Pushpa 2: The Rule Movie Critic Review:
Pushpa: The Rise (2021). Writer-director Sukumar had thrown a revenge-seeking SP Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat (Fahadh Faasil) on the trail of Pushpa Raj (Allu Arjun) even as the cheeky red sandalwood smuggler was happily taking his wedding vows with the love of his life, Srivalli (Rashmika Mandanna).
Five baits have kept the audience agog for the last three years.
What will happen to the sizzling chemistry of Pushpa and Srivalli?
How will the face-off between strong opponents Pushpa and Bhanwar play out?
Will the item number in the sequel match or surpass the saucy raunchiness of Samantha-Allu’s ‘Oo antava’? Will the dances and songs have risque-naughty moves once again?
Will Sukumar live up to the expectations and action-thrills raised by the blockbuster success of the first instalment?
Will Devi Sri Prasad deliver another chartbusting album?
The answers put together sum up the extraordinarily entertaining work of all the departments.
Pushpa and wife Srivalli move from the cheekiness of a budding romance to scorching chemistry with the toughie not only exemplifying the ultimate family man but also emitting social messages on how to treat a woman. But Sukumar keeps it so brimming with froth and fun that even the equality-spouting husband touching his baiko’s feet is shot with the messaging strong, the tone light.
The head-on collisions between Pushpa and Bhanwar Singh are intense and varied even though you-know-who gets the better of the policeman each time. Take three scenes as samples: a) Where Pushpa practically swaggers, ‘Go swim in my pee’. b) The hilarious lock-up scene. c) Shekhawat outwitted in the seas between Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka.
Pushpa going international gives him the bandwidth to bash up several more inimical forces like the Japanese with a new opponent rising in Delhi. Alongside, the local politics continues within the crime syndicate and with the family that won’t give him legitimacy. Plenty of room for a cocktail of action-emotion-dance-song and much fun.
Sukumar is a good mixer, marrying Pushpa the powerful head of the smugglers’ syndicate who can even install a new Chief Minister in the state with Pushpa the husband for whom his wife’s wish is his command. If Srivalli wants him to come home with a pic of him and the CM, he’ll even orchestrate a regime change to make it happen.
‘Oo antava’ does not get displaced by ‘Kissik’ as a memorable number. But Sreeleela looks lovely and given that Srivalli is present too, Pushpa can’t be all over the dancer except to come in and do his signature step. However, ‘Peelings’ with Srivalli makes up for the raunchy quotient especially once you accept this as a film that caters to a mass, whistle-podu class.
Pushpa’s very entry when he lands in Japan in a container has the stamp of high-energy action choreography. From hanging from a rope in midair to a uniquely conceived Kali Ma tandav in a saree that retains the masculine energy of the hero to fights with even hands and feet tied, there are a handful of brilliantly choreographed action sequences. The blend of action with emotion, jumping into the waters near Japan which cuts seamlessly to his childhood when he was denied the dignity of a surname, or action that climaxes with saving his niece’s honour, compel a screenplay that keeps moving. Something’s happening all the time with a calibrated highlight cropping up at every second turn.
As an album to listen to, Devi Sri Prasad may seem to disappoint on first hearing but on screen, the ‘Pushpa Pushpa…’, the devi avatar music, the flavour of different southern states and the BG score (DSP + Sam CS) make it lively. The choreography by Ganesh Acharya, Shekhar and Vijay Binni is so well conceived that novel Pushpa moves will become a rage.
Pushpa’s fans will not go home disappointed for though he’s no longer local, he remains the identifiably goofy, scroungy hero.
So what doesn’t work? While it is visually stunning (a huge round of applause for Miroslaw Brozek’s cinematography), the bullet-speed sparkle is missing in the earlier hour of an incredibly lengthy watch. Over-the-top on all fronts, especially the violence, subtlety goes for a long walk.
But Sukumar as writer-director takes entertainment to another level with sentiments, light moments and an unabashed hero in full spate.
In the writing, a few threads like the surname get tied up neatly, Sukumar leaving a few equations unresolved, perhaps as a window to another instalment.
There’s an ace cast at work. Allu Arjun excels as Pushpa and perfects him as the epitome of manliness with a soft side. Rashmika Madanna is spunk, spice and all that’s nice. Fahadh Faasil brings humour to his menace, a delight to watch.
Pushpa 2: The Rule Movie – Watch Or Not?: This is definitely not recommended for those with refined tastes.
Pushpa 2: The Rule Review Score Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (i.e. 3.5/5)
Pushpa 2: The Rule Movie Official Trailer:
Pushpa 2: The Rule Official Trailer (Credits: T-Series)
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