PUSHPA 2 MOVIE REVIEW
Cast: Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, Rashmika Mandanna, Rao Ramesh, Sunil, Anasuya Bharadwaj
Director: Sukumar Bandreddi
Rating: 3.5/5
The thing about sequels is they often try too hard to outdo their predecessors. Sukumar’s Pushpa 2: The Rul certainly flexes its muscles – it’s longer, louder, more expensive – but beneath the swagger lies something more interesting: a meditation on power that’s both grand and surprisingly intimate.
At the center of this three-hour epic stands Allu Arjun, whose Pushpa Raj has evolved from a scrappy outsider to a man wrestling with his own legend. The much-discussed Jaathara sequence isn’t just spectacular choreography; it’s Pushpa’s coronation ritual, a moment where pageantry and character work fuse into something genuinely electric. Arjun knows this character down to his bones now, and it shows.
What’s unexpected is how Rashmika Mandanna’s Srivalli has grown into more than just the hero’s romantic interest. Her presence adds a crucial layer of humanity to Pushpa’s world of power plays and violence. Their shared musical number works precisely because it feels earned – a rare moment of joy in an increasingly complex universe.
The film does occasionally get drunk on its own ambition. Sukumar, like his protagonist, sometimes seems unwilling to kill his darlings, letting scenes stretch past their natural conclusion. Yet even in its indulgences, Pushpa 2 remains fascinating. It’s a mass entertainer that doesn’t shy away from asking uncomfortable questions about the cost of power, even as it revels in its display.
Yes, there are moments when the narrative threads start to fray, when the spectacle threatens to overwhelm the story. But unlike many big-budget sequels that mistake complexity for depth, Pushpa 2 keeps its emotional core intact. The film’s final act might not tie up every loose end, but it understands something crucial: in Pushpa’s world, neat resolutions would feel like a betrayal.