#Pushpa2:TheRule Review

Pushpa 2: The Rule

Telugu - 2024

Starring : Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil , Rashmika Mandanna , Rao Ramesh , Jagapathi Babu , Sunil , Anasuya and Ajay

Directed by Sukumar

Plot : Following the events of Pushpa: The Rise, Pushpa Raj, the undisputed kingpin of the red sandalwood syndicate, faces a formidable challenge from Banwar Singh Shekhawat. Amid this intense power struggle, Pushpa must also confront his inner demons and grapple with questions surrounding his identity.

Coming to performances , Allu Arjun as Pushpa Raj is in terrific form. Pushpa might go down as one of his career best performance. Be it Emotional scenes or Action Scenes, he gave his 110% and it worked magically on screen. On the other hand , Fahadh Faasil as Banwar Singh Shekhawat is just phenomenal. He scores in Humour and Witty one-liners which crack up the entire theatre. A bit weak characterization, but FaFa handles it gracefully and gives a fantastic performance. Rashmika Mandanna as Srivalli is powerful and gets a meaty role. While intial portions of Rashmika looks a bit edgy and uncomfortable to watch with Family ,post that she gets a better role and performs really well especially in the Jathara scene. Rao Ramesh as MP gets a bit more important role than PART 1 and has done really well. His sequence with FaFa in station stands out ! Jagapathi Babu in an extended cameo looks so clueless and feels like a misfit. Sunil & Anasuya completely wasted as they literally have no role. Ajay as Pushpa's Brother does a good job especially in the climax. Bhramaji fun role. 

Technically the film is strong and visually stunning. Thanks to Cinematographer Mirsolaw Kuba Brozek , each and every scene looks stunning on screen. The way he captured the magnanimity of Pushpa and his smuggling sequences were fantastic. Naveen Nooli's Editing could've been much better in places and some cuts felt so abrupt and random. Songs by Devi Sri Prasad are great but somewhat feels like a speedbreaker at times. Addition BGMs by Sam Cs was unique and good. VFX was very bad at places and decent in some places.

The Film starts off in a very interesting note , right after the events of Pushpa : The Rise. The First Half largely focuses on how Pushpa evades Banwar Singh and completes his smuggling assignments. While these sequences are interesting, some points felt repeated. Also the dynamics between Allu - Rashmika as Pushpa -Srivalli was great but the way their romance was showcased felt a bit edgy which can be uncomfortable for family audiences. While the first half doesn't have a proper track to follow , the film takes off from the CM meeting sequences. Following that the events that happen are predictable but interesting to watch. The Pre Interval 30 mins is where the film actually starts the war between the Protagonist and the Antagonist and goes on for a unique and subtle Interval Block.

The Second Half starts on a really high note with a pumping 35 mins Smuggling sequence which was peak Sukku Mark. After that the most hyped Jathara Sequence comes which stands out as the USP of the film. Allu Arjun - Rashmika - DSP - Mirsolaw & Naveen - all of them literally went into god mode for thise 30 mins. With an unique performance by Allu followed by Sooseki song and a fight sequence, The Jathara Sequence comes out as the best theatrical moment of the film. Unfortunately post this , the movie dips down completely. FaFa seemed to have been lost in the Second Half as he literally is wasted and the Banwar Singh Shekhawat track is abruptly ended in a really silly way. The Second half brings more emphasis on Pushpa Raj's Emotional angle with his step brothers and somewhat that arc gets a closure in the Jathara Sequence. But again unfortunately the film doesn't end there and the film runs for another 40-45 mins which feels so dragged and completely unrelated. The Last Kidnap sequence felt so out of place and felt like it was solely kept to increase duration and give lead for the Threequel. Kissik song felt good on screen but again had very less imapct overall. The Climax was way over the top and felt so stretched and the Lead to Part 3 was really awkward and felt forced. There was a proper 10 min Emotional climax between Ajay & Allu that felt really good and film could've ended there.

Director Sukumar who is known to make offbeat films has completely tried to move away from that and make a pakka old school commercial mass masala film. While Pushpa :The Rise had a strong one line of a how a Coolie rises to become a huge Kingpin , the Sequel lacks a proper storyline and rather focuses more on events and characters. The film goes on circles here and there . While the film tries to make audience feel the impending threat on Pushpa by Banwar singh , the characterization of Pushpa feels so powerful that no matter , Audience feel pushpa will win . That makes Banwar Singh look like a fool making the antagonist weak. Also the lack of a proper one liner or story makes the film feel more like an compilation of mass sequences or random episodes in life of Pushpa Raj rather than a coherent action drama. While Sukumar has tried to dvwelve more into the emotional aspects of Pushpa's childhood trauma and his yearn for a identity, this largely takes a backseat as the film mainly tries to focus on Pushpa vs Banwar singh. But unfortunately that too is partially interesting as most of the scenes feel very one-sided.

On the Whole , Pushpa 2: The Rule definitely might not be Sukumar's Best but can easily be termed as Allu Arjun's best performance in recent times. The film fails to touch the standard set by Sukumar himself as the film mainly tries to cater the masses. While the film definitely entertains largely, the Runtime feels lengthy at times and they could've easily cut short by 20-30 mins making the film exactly 3hrs. Definitely the film is a treat for Allu Arjun fans , but for others it might be like a random compilation of theatrical mass scenes, but 100% sure the Jathara scene will work for everybody and will be talked for days.

Highlights:

1) Police Station Sequence 

2) Maldives Meeting

3) Pre Interval Party Scene

4) Smuggling & Lorry Sequence 

5) Jathara Scene

Overall: Pushpa 2: The Rule is a pointless sequel that is anchored by powerful performances of Allu Arjun & Fahadh Faasil but feels overstretched and dragged for no point. The film will surely entertain everybody but will it be liked? It's upto each and everybody's likes and expectations.

Rating : 2.5-2.75/5

Television Rights - Star Maa /Star Vijay

Digital Rights : Netflix