Pushpa 2 starts in Japan; just like Pushpa 1 but instead of an animated narration, this time it is Pushpa combating his foes hand-to-hand. But who are they? What is Pushpa doing in Japan? Why did he go there? We’re never told the answers to these questions.
Writer Sukumar fails in front of Presenter Sukumar; and that is the biggest drawback of Pushpa 2. While visual film language is creatively and artfully used to elevate the hero; by him dancing on top of a hundred men, or standing tall on a stack of sandalwood logs, Director Sukumar’s Pushpa: The Rule, although heavily influenced by Prashanth Neel’s KGF and Salaar, fails to provide a grippy conflict, purpose and graph.
Allu Arjun, however, literally carries the film on his shoulders – an actor so fine, you’re moved by each emotion he gushes on screen. He is extremely believable and organic as a nouveau riche, creamy-layer smuggler – his tanned and shimmery makeover with gawdy, bright and mostly maroon-coloured outfits denoting the red sandalwood he smuggles, and embroidered shirts with flower and fire motifs referring to his trademark dialogue are super fitting. The Gangaama Jaathara sequence, although blatantly Kantara-esque, is a brilliant stunner from Allu Arjun. Him, coupled with Miroslaw Kubek’s fill-the-frame cinematography techniques of extreme close ups of Pushpa’s rage-filled eyes and the bright saturated colours make it super hard to look at anything else while Gangaama Pushpa, dressed like a goddess in a saree with temple jewellery, is on screen. The femininity that a jacked-up Allu Arjun exudes as he flips his saree, tightens his nose ring, and ruffles his bangles, paired with the loud, heavy and feral music by Sam CS and National Award Winner Devi Sri Prasad add a much needed elevation to the performance.
The progressive euphoria, however, is cut off immediately with a machete by a tasteless scene of rowdies being paraded wearing women’s inner garments as a walk of shame. On one hand the film (literally) worships women goddesses while minutes later, it’ll make its women be stripped, man-handled, sexually assaulted and get their clothes torn for the hero to take revenge and save the girl’s “respect”.
To everyone’s surprise though, Rashmika, as Srivalli, has a really long screen time. She seems to be the core of the film – the one that brings meaning and purpose to Pushpa’s path to success, who, like Pushpa, is assertive and fearless. If ‘amma’ sentiment was the driving force in part 1, it is the ‘missus’ sentiment in part 2 – Pushpa blindly obeys everything Srivalli expresses. But she is nothing more than just a wife to Pushpa – she cooks, cleans, and mothers him repetitively but it is quite a relief from the first part where her mere existence is just crass, filler content added as breathing space in between plot points.
It is, however, quite disappointing and confusing as to why writer/directors like Sukumar who can write character arcs for background roles like that of Kesava’s (Jagadeesh Prathap) or Pushpa’s half brother’s (Ajay), fail to write anything more than a people-pleasing, uni-dimensional heroine who is cast solely for a navel-show in a couple of songs, semi-nudity in a few scenes and one monologue to motivate the hero when he’s at his lowest. And as though, that glamour wasn’t unnecessary or enough to make you uncomfortable, Pushpa 2 has a dance number with Actress Sreeleela, following the path of Oo Antava – preaching male gaze through a song made for the male gaze.
Pushpa 2 is heavily underwhelming compared to Pushpa 1. The tensions and apprehensions built through clashes of the rivals are missing in Pushpa 2 since all conflicts seem too elementary for Pushpa to even be startled by it. But the biggest reason for the failure of conflicts to register is a weak and under-utilized Fahadh Fassil, playing IPS Shekhawat. It looks like FaFa hasn’t come out of Aavesham’s Ranganna. His comical, and madcap egoism dilutes the creepy and intimidating Shekhawat that Pushpa 1 offered, which made him a perfect villain to a syndicate leader.
While the pacy screenplay may bring some merits to Pushpa’s runtime of 3 hours 21 minutes, it leaves a lot of questions unanswered and the lead to the Pushpa 3: The Rampage is lethargic and unorganic – a trend that needs to be stopped.
Rating – 2.5/ 5
