Pushpa The Rise which is just Part 1 of the entire story, follows the story of Pushpa and his rise up the ranks while smuggling red sandalwood. The story has all the ingredients of a commercial potboiler that would cater to the masses even though the plot here is wafer thin! The screenplay is a mixed bag. There is a buildup for the entire film here. While the introduction of the protagonist was welcome by the audience with claps and whistles, I had an instant problem with the love story which was showcased. Firstly, the love story was just not required. Secondly, it was cringy where the main protagonist is seen stalking the female. Stalking can never be justified and to think that a protagonist who is worshipped is shown doing that is ridiculous because so many would feel that stalking is normal. In a totally different scene, the protagonist has his hand on the breast of the female, again cringy. What this love story does is that it just adds crucial minutes to the overall runtime of 3 hours and has zero impact on the screenplay!


But on the positive front, the situations created are quite interesting particularly in the first hour. The way the writers introduce the world of the protagonist and his equations with the characters around are amazing to watch. The character of the protagonist is designed to ooze style and machismo. The interval point is the highlight which rounds up a good first half. But with the focus shifting on the love story in the second hour is a dampener which I have briefly mentioned above. But towards the last 20 minutes with a nemesis being introduced, the drama props up yet again culminating into a thrilling final act that nicely sets it up for Part 2. Overall, an entertaining screenplay but you expected more!