Pushpa 2 The Rule: A Zig-Zag Puzzle

Pushpa 2 The Rule Review

Star Cast: Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Dhanunjaya, Rao Ramesh, Sunil, and Anasuya Bharadwaj. 
Music Composed by Devi Sri Prasad 
Cinematography by Miresłow Kuba Brożek 
Edited by Navin Nooli 
Directed by Sukumar B 

When you’re puzzled about how to spend your free time and what to do when you’re bored, you start randomly doing activities that can put your brain at ease. Pushpa 2: The Rule is one such film. When your film suddenly becomes a pan-india hit, mainly in major Hindi markets, you have to cater to everyone in the second one. Now, you either need to stick to the theme that you previously decided upon or make it even bigger with careful emphasis on characters and their journey. Pushpa 2 feels like an afterthought with a filmmaker who is not 100% convinced about making it the way everyone wants him to. Maybe the director did not understand how to really make it as a film or write it either. The lack of story and immense pressure of financials, a highly motivated lead actor, and a confused storyteller create a zig-zag puzzle that you can solve any way you want.

Warning!! This is Where We Spill the Smuggling Secrets

This is Where We Spill the Smuggling SecretWhile I do like drawing parallels to mythological stories and popular folklore, Pushpa seems to be hell-bent on creating a legend of its own but fails to really capitalize on the human emotions that this character has. In the first part, we are introduced to a daily laborer, who wants to make ends meet but whose struggle for recognition drives him to go to extreme measures to satisfy his ego. He can wage a battle if you even blink an eye at him in the wrong way. So, what happens to him when he gains recognition as a big man with huge money bags lying in his godowns? Would he be taking one wrong step after another like we see in Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees [2017], or would he be giving opportunities to those people who don’t really deserve them like in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai [2010]? If both are not the only outcomes, he would either end up succumbing to his own ego-fueled ambition like Rocky Bhai or resort to operating in the shadows like real-life cartels.

Because your growth cannot be isolated from making enemies if ego is your best friend. Your ego is directly proportional to the number of enemies you make, at least in the case of the character that Sukumar started with Pushpa Raj. Even if he proves to be the cleverest person in any room, he would find himself caught up in some sort of mess for sure. Many characters become legends because of their struggle more than their achievement. Hence, Pushpa starts off struggling to reach great heights in his Rise but ends up with the least struggle in his Rule. This is where Sukumar’s writing seems directionless to the power of eternity.

He knows there is a story there to be told somewhere, but he is unable to convince himself about the path. He wants the continuity to be there but doesn’t want Pushpa to lose even one battle. He wants a gigantic achievement for his character but doesn’t want it to be out of his reach or make it look like he is over-reaching. He wants people to celebrate him, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to be a symbol of negative energy in society. He doesn’t want to create a negative impression that making money illegally is cool. When you’re this conflicted, you end up making a half-hearted, half-boiled egg omelet that cannot be fully swallowed or thrown away. The story starts off exploring the conflict between Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat and Pushpa, like where it ended in the first one. But does it fully explore their egoistic battle?

Rather, it ends up taking shortcuts to somehow gift a win to Pushpa. The entire police force is ready to be a sell-out? Seriously?? Fine, it is a mass moment to see the hero owning a police station which once disrespected him for not being able to use his father’s name. When the entire world knows that a certain smuggler has openly gone to meet a CM, the said CM is not in favor of giving a photo? The logical mind of Sukumar seems to have taken a rest. Let’s give it a pass as commercial mass cinema logic. How about Pushpa being able to secure 2000 tons of red sandalwood? How did Mangalam Srinu and Bhanwar not think about stopping the sources by arresting syndicate members? At least when the CM is in their support, why did Bhanwar not try to frame a case on Pushpa using any other means? Fine, why is everyone so openly talking about smuggling and the syndicate, even the commoners? Why is there no secrecy like in the first part? How does the Sri Lankan Navy allow so many fishing boats to cross their border at a time? The makers did not care about even adding a scene or a dialogue to explain that these boats are regulars or the border police are controlled by Pushpa.

Coming to family dynamics – how come his mother and wife are not worried about his adventurous lifestyle? When his motive was to gain respect for his mother, what happened to that motive when he got the money? Did he just accept that the Mulleti brothers will never be united? He needn’t long for their affection, but at least he could be shown living in pride against them. Instead, we see him being mellowed down with no context in front of them. We see Pushpa in Japan, and then he starts fighting with trauma in the Manjummel Boys [2024] style. Then we see him romancing Sri Valli in Animal [2023] Style. Later, we see him performing in the Jathara like Kantara [2022], and then we see him pulling off a Kateramma fight with some animalistic eccentricity. Absolutely nothing feels like a cohesive script rather, everything feels like an afterthought developed after each schedule.

The only consistent thing in this zig-zag puzzle is Allu Arjun‘s performance. He keeps us hooked to the screen with his mannerisms and stunning ability to try anything and make it work. He excelled like never before in the Jathara episode. Rashmika Mandanna and Sreeleela are just glamour dolls. Rashmika gets two good scenes, but even there, the sound design did not really help us understand her plight. Fahadh Faasil gave it everything and convinced us as Bhanwar, but the writing just did not let him breathe or have a proper ending. All others did their best, but none will stay with us. I don’t want to talk about the music, but the visuals were better than the first part. When your lead actor’s ambition overpowers your willingness to travel with him everywhere he wants to go, you should either resist or give up. Sukumar ended up being motivated and demotivated, resulting in a film that ends up as a zig-zag puzzle that never piques our interest to solve it except for one clue.

Theatrical Trailer:

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