Review for PUSHPA:
• REVIEW BY ARUNJYOTHI.R.
•Language: MALAYALAM DUBBED.
•Duration: 02 Hours 59 MINUTES
•Genre: ACTION THRILLER.
•Theatre: JB Cinemas Nallila.
• POSITIVES:
1: PERFORMANCE OF ACTORS.
2: CINEMATOGRAPHY.
3: ACTION AND STUNTS.
4: EDITING.
5: SONGS AND BACKGROUND SCORE.
• NEGATIVES:
1: AVERAGE DIRECTION
2: WEAK SCREENPLAY
3: PREDICTABLE STORY
4: MANY CLICHE AND OVERDRAMATIC SCENES.
• ONE WORD: It’s the fallen rise of Pushpa, can watch for the powerful performance of Allu Arjun.
•STORY IDEA:
Pushpa: The Rise-Part 1, is set against the backdrop of smuggling of red sandalwood. The story of the film is happening in the Seshachalam forest in Andhra Pradesh and the film focuses on Pushpa Raj (Allu Arjun) who is a lorry driver and an ordinary wage coolie. Pushpa wishes to conquer the smuggling world of red sandalwood so he works with Konda Reddy Brothers and creates a good impression and within a short period, he will become their partner. Soon, Pushpa will fall in love with Srivalli (Rashmika Mandanna) and gradually he will make his signature in the world of smuggling by showing his skill. During his journey to becoming a Don, Pushpa will lock his key with Mangalam Srinu (Sunil), who is a big smuggler and the head of the syndicate. So how Pushpa will capture the syndicate from Mangalam Srinu, Kondareddy brothers and the police is the rest of the story.
•ANALYSIS INTO DIRECTION, STORY, SCREENPLAY AND DIALOGUES:
Pushap: The Rise-Part 1 is written and directed by the hitmaker Sukumar who had previously done Rangasthalam. Apart from the story and screenplay from Sukumar, Srikanth Vissa is the one who had written the dialogues. The movie is produced by Naveen Yerneni and Yalamanchili Ravi Shankar and the movie comes under the production company of Mythri Movie Makers and Muttamsetty Media. The Malayalam dubbed version is distributed E4 Entertainments, Tamil dubbed version is by Lyca Productions, in North India the Hindi dubbed version is by Goldmines Telefilm-AA Films and the Kannada dubbed version is my Swagath Enterprises.
Sukumar is one of my favourite directors, I always loved his making and the way he execute the film. When a commercial movie is made he knows the right content and elements on how to impress the audience and also know how to make a film commercially hit. His previous movie Rangasathalm was a blockbuster and now he is back with Allu Arjun after their super hit film Arya 2. This time based on some real-life incidents from Andhra Pradesh he creates a story which is inspired by the real smuggling of red sandalwood, ended as a film, The Pushpa: The Rise: Part 1. The movie is all about the protagonist Pushpa, his life, his growth, his conquer, his dreams, his love, his sorrows and finally about his craving mind to be a superior ruler. So the director Sukumar through this film largely focuses on these aspects and gives us a clear idea of who is Pushpa. It’s just the first part, a sequel is on the card, so the movie is a beginning, a lot more to come.
The making and directional style of Sukumar had always impressed me but this time he partially failed to keep his winning track. I am not saying that the direction was poor, it could have been better. In his written story, screenplay and also in the direction there were both ups and downs, Pushpa is not his best work and not the worst one. Let’s begin with the positive, what I liked most is the way he carried the film and the methods he used to execute the film. The direction The movie has a long duration of nearly three hours so till the end how he lifted and rendered the film deserves mention. The second is the way he used the acting talents of actors especially Allu Arjun, he was fantastic. He completely captured the skills of Allu Arjun perfectly, therefore Allu Arjun was completely energetic to deliver a mass performance. The third positive is the ideas based on the smuggling of red sandalwood, the concept was undertaken beautifully and the various unknown inner side of the smuggling was brought out decently. Since the story is inspired by real-life scenarios the strategies Sukumar used to formulate those ideas into a story was impressive.
Now looking into the negatives the first drawback is the story. The story was completely predictable, it was following a repeated style of many gangster films. Till now in all the gangster movies a usual pattern is followed which is a hero from nothing will start his journey and at the end, he will be the one standing superior to the other, like a king. Also during his journey, he will meet several villains, and in between, he will fall in love with someone and finally, he will have a haunting past filled with family sentiments. This was unfortunately seen in the whole script, it’s one of the main drawbacks in the writing of Sukumar. The script was not accompanied by anything and nothing surprising was seen in his writing. He followed the regular pattern and everything turned out to be predictable which lacked in creating a punch. Next is the screenplay, he was not on his right winning track, several factors he brought out in the screenplay is something we all are familiar of, cliches were filled in the screenplay for example all the master plans of the hero perfectly working without any errors, unnecessary romance, family emotional sentiments overdosed at many areas and beating all the villains easily felt cliched and overdramatic.
Now looking into the negatives the first drawback is the story. The story was completely predictable, it was following a repeated style of many gangster films. Till now in all the gangster movies a usual pattern is followed which is a hero from nothing will start his journey and at the end, he will be the one standing superior to the other, like a king. Also during his journey, he will meet several villains, and in between, he will fall in love with someone and finally, he will have a haunting past filled with family sentiments. This was unfortunately seen in the whole script, it’s one of the main drawbacks in the writing of Sukumar. The script was not accompanied by anything and nothing surprising was seen in his writing. He followed the regular pattern and everything turned out to be predictable which lacked in creating a punch. Next is the screenplay, he was not on his right winning track, several factors he brought out in the screenplay is something we all are familiar with, cliches were filled in the screenplay for example all the master plans of the hero perfectly working without any errors, unnecessary romance, family emotional sentiments overdosed at many areas and beating all the villains easily felt cliched and overdramatic. The fifth negative in the writing is the romance between Allu Arjun and Rashmika, it was badly written and had a typical cliche style. Hero following her, the heroine not showing interest and at last the hero fighting to a villain for the heroine and at last both of them falling in love with each other looked exaggerated as well as overdramatic.
The saddest part and the annoying thing I felt in the direction of Sukumar is the way he made the climax. The whole climax was suffering from a proper execution. Also, those climax scenes were targeted to create a big impact for the sequel and sadly it doesn’t attain the proper standard. The protagonist and antagonist will face each other and the scene explains some crucial points which have some twists and the film ends with making the way to a second part. In the first part of KGF and Bahubali, the movie ended with some strong scenes and it was having a big impact. Those tail ends which we saw in KGF and Bahubali had created a curiosity and interest, one will be excited for watching the sequel but here Pushpa: The Rise- Part 1 ended up without creating an impact or influence, not getting an excited mind to watch the sequel. Another drawback is the lack of cheerful moments, when the important scene ends it doesn’t create any wow factor. The movie is not completely engaging, the first half was steady but the second half was unnecessarily dragged, the director Sukumar could have avoided some parts. So all together this is not the best work of Sukumar, his direction and writing was sadly average and if he is going to make the sequel he should give more effort, wishing him the best wishes for the sequel.
•PERFORMANCE OF ACTORS:
The movie comes with the casting of Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Sunil, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Rao Ramesh, Ajay Ghosh, Malavika Wales and Samantha Ruth Prabhu appears to perform an item dancer.
This is the first movie of Allu Arjun which had been released all across India in several languages, his first Pan-Indian film. So the movie was one of the most anticipated films of the year and the film was having a large expectation among the fans and normal audience, also makers announced it will have a first and second part which also created big publicity. So one of the main reasons behind this hype is the stardom of Allu Arjun. The tagline Stylish Star is always meant for him and no one can take from him because it doesn’t matter what type of character he does when he appears the style will always be with him and everyone will be attracted to it. In Pushpa, he is not modern, a village guy with a daring attitude so his outlook felt different and impressive. His simple costumes and curly hair look was giving a new vibrant style and suited him well. The performance is magnificent and it’s one of the plus factors of this film. The dialogue delivery was stunning, powerful voice modulations and a tough show of various emotions were positively seen all over his performance. He carried the movie on his shoulders brilliantly by taking the responsibility of a true hero, which shows the proper seriousness which the character demand. His fans and those who love Allu Arjun will always have huge expectations and fortunately, without making any disappointment he performed authentically by giving a solid and stern power-packed performance. The film, it’s all about the rise of the character Pushpa to a gangster so how Allu Arjun undertake the character showed the manner of a mature actor. The earnestness he gave for the character and the dedication given for the psychical structure, the coaching he undertook to learn the local language style of the Chittoor accent and the social training he took for a particular action scene shows his commitment and honesty, huge applause for him. His acting is something that improves movies after movies when a serious scene is happening the intense look which he gives through his eyes always made me wonder, love that expression and I was happy to see that again in Pushpa. His actions sequences were outstanding and his style in performing those actions look dominant. The dialogue delivery and timing of the mass deliague had also impressed me, and the emotional scenes were amazingly performed. No doubt the character Pushpa will always stand top among the filmography of Allu Arjun.
Rashmika Mandanna as Srivalli looked charming and gorgeous. Her beautiful smile was making cute attention and her lovely eyes were set to make an impression. The outlook was great and the performance was also satisfying. Her combination scenes with Allu Arjun was romantic and funny, they had good chemistry and their combination worked out well. Her dance moves in the song “Saamy Saamy” was the one that went trending and viral, in the bug screen her moves and dance were good to see. Anasuya Bharadwaj as Dakshayani shocked me through her look and costumes. Her outlook was different with sharp looks, the performance was exceptional because of the way and method which she carried on the performance. The style of a rich rural land was easily handled and the stern acting was seen on her whole performance. Samantha Ruth Prabhu appears to perform an item number, it was a sensational hit before the release. Her dance and physical structure were sexy, her outlook was attracting deeply and the looks which she gives is desirable to an extent.
Sunil as Mangalam Srinu is another actor who had surprised me through performance and acting. He was a great villain, his outlook was different with an intense look. The way he speaks with the modulation of local accent had stunned me, it’s was faultless. He is an actor who can do the best comic and supportive roles and he had proved it through his earlier works so for the first time I am watching him doing a negative role. So the mannerism he undertook for performing as a rich villain who is the head of the syndicate was mysteriously portrayed by him. The character ‘Mangalam Srinu’ will always be notable in his filmography. Ajay Ghosh as Kondareddy and Dhananjay as Jolly Reddy did a great performance as the villains, labelled as Konda Reddy Brothers both of them did an excellent job, combination scene with Allu Arjun was working genuinely. Fahadh Faasil as Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat IPS appears in the last 30 minutes as the surprising villain, he was spectacular, felt natural in all aspects. His performance was authentic, although screen space was less he had created a big notorious impact for the next part. His combination scene with Allu Arjun was fascinating to watch and loved every single bit of it.
•MUSIC, LYRICS AND BACKGROUND SCORE:
The musical work of the film is composed by Devi Sri Prasad including the background score. The film consists of five songs with different lyrics in each language. The song “Saami Saami” sung by Sithara Krishnakumar is now ranked among the trending list and the song felt different to hear. The beats were good and the voice of Sithara had given a feel of a rural village singer. The lyrics of this song was moderate, at some places, the meaning of some words felt abused and funny. Another song “Odu Odu Aadu” sung by Rahul Nambiar was amazing which properly gave a mass heroic feel, the lyrics were great to set some meaningful rules of the forest and it showcases the faces of the hunt. The next song called “Srivalli” sung by Sid Sriram was melodious with pleasing tones of his voice. Also, the violin notes in the song were giving a good feel, the lyrics was matching to set the targeted scenes. The next song “Eyy Poda Ithu Njaanaada” was superb with the mass feel, it was uplifting the heroic feel of the character Pushpa. The voice was Ranjith Govind was powerful which stood at the top to pass the energetic feel. The lyrics of the song was denoting the confidence of a mass hero and it was nice to hear. The hit song “Oo Chollunno Oo Oo Chollunno” sung by Remya Nambeeshan was not great for my ears. I liked the voice of Remya Nameeshan but the song was having the typical beats which we use to see in Devi Sri Prasad other works. Similarities with the song “Honey Honey” of Tamil movie Ayan was largely felt. The beats and tune of “Oo Chollunno Oo Oo Chollunno” was felt inspired from this Honey Honey song. Also, the lyrics were felt awkward and felt like a cheap language style.
The background score was great which created a large impact for the film to entertain the audience. Devi Sri Prasad always knows the best to give for a mass commercial movie and in this film also he had done a great job in bringing out another splendid work. The background score for the crucial scene especially for the scenes of Allu Arjun was dominating to pass a mass clapping impact. The mass heroic scene in the film has the perfect end with the right background score so issues of continuity weren’t felt, all the scenes end perfectly. The background score at the emotional scenes was also predominantly holding the film to give the proper sentimental impact. So all together the songs were enjoyable and the background score was flawless for a mass entertainer, another good work of DSP.
•DUBBING:
Jis Joy is now a notable director in the Malayalam Film Industry and he is the one who always gives voice to Allu Arjun and his movies. So from my schooling till now when the face of Allu Arjun appears the voice of Jos Joy will be striking. If the artist is Allu Arjun then Jis Joy is the perfect one to dub and no one can replace him. It’s really hard to imagine someone’s voice for Allu Arjun, how Jis Joy speaks for Allu’s style, how he modulates and how he handles is something only Jis Joy can do. In Pushpa: The Rise- Part 1, Jis Joy had done a spectacular job and his voice flawlessly matched for Allu Arjun. If compared with the previous dubbing works of Jis Joy his voice is now a little bit hard and felt more mature but still, he manages to do his best. The various modulation are safer in the hands of Jis Joy, in this film Allu Arjun burst out angrily and pass the dialogue in a mass heroic way so Jis Joy dealt with those situations authentically, one can feel the mass and impact of the heroism of Allu Arjun. The romantic portions were also greatly dubbed by Jis Joy and the emotional scene were giving a sentimental feel. The lip sinking won’t be accurate because the original language is Telugu and Malayalam won’t suit to fix their lip modulation but still, the voice of Jis Joy makes it go away to a maximum extent. The female artist who had dubbed Rashmika Mandana had done a decent job, her voice was matching her appearance and outlook. The language style heavily demands the speaking style of a rural village girl and her dubbing was mostly according to the style. The combination scenes of Rashmika and Allu Arjun holds with the many romantic scenes and the dubbing for both actors in Malayalam was making satisfying chemistry, the romantic feel was given by their voice moderately.
•TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
What I liked most in the technical aspects is the cinematography by Mirosław Kuba Brożek who had previously worked in Nani’s Ganglader (2019). I loved the frames and shots of the cinematographer because the visuals was having an adequate connection to make the making powerful. Forest is an important element in the film, all the happening and crucial turn over is occurring in the forest so the visuals of the forest play a significant role. Therefore Mirosław Kuba Brożek does his part of the job brilliantly by catching beautiful visuals of the Seshachalam forest. The visuals which was shot on Ramoji Film City was the only lacking visuals I felt in the work of Mirosław Kuba Brożek because of the average artwork by the art department. The outdoor visuals were significantly lifting the movie to show a proper impact and the film was consisting the beautiful frames of forest, hills and rural villages. The camera moments which we can see in the film was wonderous, I enjoyed them and those camera moments were terrific to set the mood for energetic action. The action of Allu Arjun looks great and his grace and style of actions were taken cheerfully in a mass appeal. Th Art Work done by Mounika and Ramakrishna was terrible, most of the scenes shot inside the Ramoji was giving an artificial feel, originality was missing especially in the set of the forests. The editing by Karthika Srinivas was fine, some shots should have been trimmed for a better watching experience. I haven’t seen or felt any mismatches in the cutting of scenes and the transition of the scene was perfect.
•CONCLUSION:
So overall to conclude Pushpa: The Rise- Part 1 doesn’t climb to beat the hype and expectations. The mediocre direction and the poor writing of the story and screenplay made the film look average, still, the performance of Allu Arjun will make this movie watchable. The movie could have fallen completely but the performance of Allu Arjun made it go away, he carried the movie on his shoulder safely and made it enjoyable. So to conclude Pushpa: The Rise- Part 1 has given me an average experience but yet I will recommend this film for those who love to watch a commercial mass film, still watch it with fewer expectations.
•VERDICT: A WATCHABLE TIME PASS ENTERTAINER.
•RATING: 3/5
