Amidst grand hype and fanfare comes Pushpa 2, the sequel to the terrific blockbuster that made everybody crazy about the character of Pushpa. The film brings back the combination of Allu Arjun and Sukumar one more time, and this time too, they make enough to send audiences into a frenzy.
Pushpa 2 picks up from where the first part ended, with the film diving deeper into the tension between Pushpa Raj and Bhanwar Singh Shekawat, the two lead characters in Allu Arjun and Fahadh Faasil. The film’s first half is terrific as it gives us many scenes and action sequences worth our attention. Except for the intro sequence which is a bit of a middling one, the first half hardly has any lags and flows superbly with its high moments placed wondrously. Sukumar has ensured that he gets the core husband-wife emotion rolling early in the film, and packs his screenplay with interesting incidents one after the other on how Pushparaj goes about his business of becoming a big-time, world-spanning smuggler. However, the film takes a completely different turn midway through the second half and deviates into becoming another film, through a subplot that is used to derive familial emotions more in the story of Pushpa. This is where part 2 loses its steam, and continues as a usual commercial entertainer.
It is Allu Arjun who utilizes the opportunity to showcase his range to the fullest, as there has hardly been a power packed role on a higher pedestal than this, in his career. The sequences prior to the interval in the first half and the AMAZING jaathara scene in the second half are true examples of the star-performer that he is.
Rashmika Mandanna offers great support and her emotional act in the second half makes it another great 200 minute film outing for her after Animal. Fahadh Faasil does not have much to do in the latter end of the film, but whenever he’s on screen, it’s a freaking riot for sure. The film also has good performances from its supporting cast, who all contribute well.
Technically too, it is a strong film with the cinematography being on point, DSP’s songs working well and Sam CS doing a great job with the background score.
On the whole, Pushpa 2 is not a film that ticks all the boxes as it loses steam towards the end, but it is still a paisa vasool entertainer that is definitely worth watching on the big screen.