Pushpa 2 Review: Plot Shrinks As Canvas Gets Bigger To Fit An Exaggerated Hero

Pushpa 2 is Pushpa 1 with heavy, superfluous garnishing of over-the-top drama. There are enough siti-maar (whistle-worthy) moments in the overlong glorification of the persona of labourer-turned-sandalwood mafia boss Pushpa Raj and if you have an appetite for high voltage, high decibel showdowns, you won’t be disappointed. That’s not a problem though; the problem is his story was complete in the original, in the second, it gets stretched with little value addition.

The movie sells swag and hypermasculinity, and does it with little inhibition. It’s not an issue either. It has enough tender moments exploring the soft and emotional side to the protagonist, particularly those involving Pushpa and wife Srivalli and his yearning to be accepted as part of his father’s family. The swag, however, gets too exaggerated at several points. The attitude laced with confidence and arrogance normally works best when the antagonist has an equally forceful presence.

He doesn’t in this case. The main point of interest in the sequel was Pushpa’s clash with Banwar Singh Shekhawat, the corrupt and vicious Superintendent of Police, who made a power-packed entry at the end of the original and swore revenge on the former. He is reduced to a caricature – all sound and fury but falling to the guiles and chutzpah of Pushpa all the time. A superhero needs a supervillain to shine. Pushpa has it just too easy. The original handled this better.

The boss of the red sandalwood smuggling syndicate now, he is more flashy, both in lifestyle and demeanour. His business has gone international and he wields enough financial power to buy out the entire staff at a police station to free his men and topple a chief minister. There is a power struggle inside the syndicate, and there are moves to neutralise him. All these put together coherently could have made Pushpa 2 a more compelling fare. Unfortunately, a lot of energy goes into building Pushpa’s machismo and aura of invincibility not the intensity of his conflicts,

Allu Arjun is brilliant with his energy and level of commitment to the role. He explores a range of emotions – hurt, yearning, love, lightness and anger – with ease. He is equally convincing when he is violent and vulnerable. His performance in the Mahakali song where he wears the androgynous look complete with a saree and bangles to perform the Jathara dance is a stealer. Coming to the swag, Bollywood actors would do well to observe how Allu Arjun makes it look effortless.

The exceptionally talented Fahadh Faasil is completely wasted in a role without depth. Rashmika Mandanna is adequate as the doting wife. Action is eye-catching. Director Sukumar deserves credit for making a weak plot palatable, but as the writer he should be blamed for not putting enough substance into the story. Pushpa 1 was more satisfying from this perspective.

The last 40 minutes were a mess, an extended prologue to the third in the series: Pushpa: The Rampage. It’s irksome to note that most movies these days see no conclusion.

(By arrangements with Perspective Bytes)