The Big Picture
- Telugu star Allu Arjun’s highly anticipated sequel, Pushpa: The Rule, will release on India’s Independence Day, following the success of its prequel, Pushpa: The Rise.
- The original film received critical acclaim for its performances, action choreography, cinematography, and direction, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of 2021.
- Pushpa: The Rise focuses on the rivalry between protagonist Pushpa and police officer Bhanwar Singh, delving into the dark and deceitful world of the smuggling syndicate.
Telugu star Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rule has finally set a release date coinciding with India’s Independence Day in August. The makers shared a new poster for the sequel of 2021’s hit Pushpa: The Rise, which sees the symbolic tiger ready to get on the top of a hit and finally claiming his territory, just like its protagonist Pushpa (Arjun). The Telugu language prequel was an unexpected hit across India gathering fanfare as well as critical acclaim that has hyped the audience for the upcoming feature.
Set in the late 90s the original feature saw the rise of Pushpa, a coolie who makes his way through the ranks in the smuggling syndicate of red sandalwood by any means possible. The rare wood grows only in the Seshachalam Hills of Andhra Pradesh, India and is heavily smuggled around the world, but things change when a new egotistical police officer Bhanwar Singh (Fahadh Faasil), comes to town and stops Pushpa. The upcoming sequel will focus on their rivalry and will see the expanse of Pushpa’s rule which is marred by deceit and blood.
‘Pushpa’ is a Critically Acclaimed Film
Written and directed by Sukumar, who is known for his complex and multi-layered screenplays and for immaculately presenting morally ambiguous protagonists, the original feature was an unexpected hit across the country. It won two Nation Film Awards including Best Actor (Arjun) and Best Music Direction (Devi Sri Prasad). The feature is also considered one of Arjun’s best performances to date as he gets down and dirty portraying the very dark and weirdly comedic Pushpa and going through a complete body transformation and performing some very complex action set pieces.
Overall, the feature has gathered much praise for its performances, slick action choreography, cinematography, and direction. This gives the audiences all the more reason to root for the upcoming Pushpa: The Rise. At the box office, the feature turned out to be the highest-grossing Indian film of 2021, and ranks among the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time.
Along with Arjun and Faasil, Pushpa: The Rise brings back familiar faces including Animal star Rashmika Mandanna as Pushpa’s wife Srivalli, Dhananjaya as Jaali Reddy, Shanmukh as Jakka Reddy, Anasuya Bharadwaj as Mangalam Dakshayani, along with Rao Ramesh as Bhumireddy Siddappa Naidu and Prakash Raj as Mangalam Prakash. Also rounding off the cast are Ajay as Molleti Mohan, Sritej, Jagapathi Babu, Kalpalatha, and Sunil as Mangalam Srinu. Sukumar directs from his own script.
Pushpa: The Rule debuts worldwide on August 15. You can check out the new announcement below:
