Pushpa: The Rise is a film written and directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers in association with Muttamsetty Media. It features Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead roles while Fahadh Faasil, Sunil, Rao Ramesh and others play crucial supporting roles. Samantha also makes a special appearance in a song. It has music by Devi Sri Prasad and cinematography by Miroslaw Kuba Brozek.

Pushpa: The Rise is the first part of a two film series that captures the growth of Pushpa (Allu Arjun) from a simple coolie who smuggles sandalwood for Konda Reddy, to becoming someone as powerful as them, and finally ending up as the biggest force to reckon in his town. He finds his match in the form of Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat, played by Fahadh Faasil, setting up a mouthwatering clash in the second part.

Director Sukumar is known for his brilliant packaging of solid stories. The way he converts even the normal stories into a proper commercial flick has been his strength for years. However that Midas touch seems to be missing in this film. A lot of things look generic, and there are plenty of loose ends in the plot.

In the cult gangster film Vikram Vedha, there is a dialogue uttered by Madhavan - "All you gangsters have the same story right? You suffer as a kid, but then somehow work hard to grow up as a gangster." That's exactly the template Pushpa fits into. And this makes the film extremely predictable.

The performances of the actors is what salvages what is lost. Allu Arjun is terrific as Pushpa, and he nails the Chittoor Telugu accent effortlessly, and the tamil dialogues are also authentic. Despite having a very small screentime, Fahadh Faasil proves why he's among the top actors in the country. Rashmika's character doesnt have much scope but she's given a decent performance in the space offered to her.

The mass scenes in the film are well written and the dialogues are sure to drive Allu Arjun fans crazy. If this were an OTT release, the case would have been different but smart directorial and writing choices ensure these mass theatre moments are worth it. It's not just the actor waving at his fans, but the way the scenes pan out that does the job.

The film has a runtime of close to 3 hours, and it does feel like it's much longer. One of the reasons behind this is the songs. They serve as speed breakers to a screenplay that lags a lot. The viral Oo Antava song is a delight to watch on screen, and the opening song is superbly choreographed. But apart from that the other songs don't help the film's cause. However, DSP makes up for it through his pulsating background score that tries to keep the film as engaging as possible. The camerawork and editing is on par and the film is strong technically.

Overall, Pushpa aspires to be unique but doesn't attempt to break out of the box. It is a template gangster story that's amped up by the music and performances. More effort into the writing would have made this a lot better than what it is - a middling film with mass moments for fans.