An overbearing personality for the main hero, toppling trucks, loud music with unpalatable lyrics, and a classic clash between toxic masculinity and fragile femininity.
The Pushpa franchise came wrapped up in all these ingredients that went on to make it a phenomenon, and not just a film.
It's a film that made its actor a brand to begin with.
"Looking tough" is idolised with a little peppering of ego and emotional abuse, which is all, apparently, in the interest of the storytelling.
There was all that and more in Pushpa and its sequel Pushpa: The Rise.
But no one anticipated the craze that followed the release of Pushpa, and the excitement surrounding Pushpa: The Rule.
The film had released earlier this month. It made rupees 725.8 crore in its first week. The craze kept increasing and eventually resulted in Allu Arjun's arrest.
One cannot pinpoint what worked—was it the unwavering swag with which Pushpa lit up the screen? The lopsided body language, the signature style of brushing his hand under his beard and voicing "Jhukega Nahi", or catchphrases like "Flower Nahi, Fire Hai?"
The star himself had mentioned during the film's promotions, "I am yet to become this pan-India star. But I can only say that I need to explore more and want to push boundaries as far as my performances are concerned."
And that he did, he shed off the skin of the boy next door and donned a raw and rustic appeal that aided the mammoth global phenomenon that the film became.
The first part earned rupees 74 crore on its release day and a gross total of rupees 400 crore.
The Influence
Pushpa released three years ago and established Allu Arjun as a pan-Indian star. He went on to receive a National Award for the film. The credit was given to the raw storytelling, the macho character written for the titular role that instilled fear, and hence, entertained the bigger target audience of this genre. Add to it, a tad layering of the new onscreen couple to cheer for—Srivalli (Rashmika Mandanna) and Pushpa (Allu Arjun).
The Misogynistic Approach
While the love story evolves in Pushpa 2: The Rule, the tendency to portray the lead actress as someone who has to sacrifice her life and be at the beck and call of her male counterpart, remains.
In the first part, she was seen going to Pushpa and asking for his help, in exchange for sexual favours. All this to rescue her father from the enemy. Though Pushpa rejects it, the plot still goes on to show that it's only through a sacrifice, that a woman can even think of safeguarding her own dignity in a male-dominated world.
In the sequel, Srivalli is seen as a doting wife who defends her husband, turning a blind eye to the massacre that he leaves behind in the face of attack and atrocities. She's seen as someone dependent on him completely, a tragic and subtle representation of how women are shown as a weakening presence in these massy and extravagant Tollywood films.
But if we rewind it back to the trend of South Films, this practice has been prevalent for a long time. Let's talk about the outburst that took place when Shahid Kapoor's Kabir Singh hit the screens.
Women were outraged by the misogynistic appeal of men, asking if it was okay for a man's temper to get the better of him.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga who is often accused of his creative vision and the heights of misogyny seen in films, directed both the Telugu version—Arjun Reddy with Vijay Deverakonda in the lead, and the remake in Hindi—Kabir Singh with Shahid Kapoor.
A particular scene in the film where the male lead slaps the female lead, led to severe backlash from the audience. Especially from women. In this age and time, the portrayal of such audacity is looked down upon. It's not the politically incorrect '80s after all.
But does that lead to putting an end to it? Clearly not, because we see an undertone of the same macho, raw "Animal" in the same-titled film in 2023 that broke all box-office records. Interestingly it was again, helmed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and had Pushpa actress Rashmika Mandanna in the lead.
It's not just the offensive plot lines; look closely and you'll see how women's portrayal in this massive entertainer keeps degrading.
Pushpa Vs Pushpa: The Rule
Pushpa 2's shattering box-office records made movie enthusiasts draw parallels between the two films in the franchise. It led to finding some of the same patterns.
While Part 1 had the song Oo Antava, the sequel had the song Peelings which was quite disturbing for a lot of people to watch. Be it the sexualised dance steps or the unappealing lyrics, while the audiences throng to theatres, dancing and lip-syncing to it, a deeper dive into it would draw a not-so-rosy picture.
Oo Anatava saw Samantha in a never-seen-before avatar, while the music composer Devi Sri Prasad stood by his opinion of the song adding to the storyline. The meaning entailed was all about men being lustful, and it triggered a high level of discomfort.
A similar fate was met by the song Peelings in the sequel when Rashmika was said to look uncomfortable. The choreography demanded she be lifted to do some close moves with the actor, which led to an uproar especially among the women cine-goers.
But it highlights the same ongoing debate—the pattern of integration into the sequel was followed despite Oo Antava wreaking havoc upon its release, clearly indicating that once the noise settles into the dust, the makers go back to using the formula that worked in the first place.
At the end of the day, it's about getting the crowd to the movies and getting them talking about the movie.
Allu Arjun's Arrest
That Pushpa 2 will record an impossible box-office number, was a known fact. It minted a solid rupees 100 crore in the first 3 days of its opening. As of its 25th day of release, it has surpassed a cumulative earning of rupees 1157.35 crore.
Quite commendable, considering the arrest of Allu Arjun recently. The actor was arrested on December 13, after the stampede took the life of a 39-year-old woman and sent her son to the ICU. Allu Arjun was arrested in connection with the stampede.
Allu Arjun was arrested in connection with the stampede, along with his security team and the management of Sandhya Theatre. They were taken into custody under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 118(1) (punishment for causing hurt). One would think that this would largely affect the film's performance at the box office. However, what happened was quite the opposite.
Post the tragedy, early morning and midnight shows, along with the 3D release of the film, were cancelled. But the noise refuses to die down, as fans continue to flock to the movies.
Allu Arjun's Wardrobe
Another interesting angle to the whole arrest controversy was the actor's wardrobe. Two videos went viral, one that featured him in a green T-shirt and shorts when he was arrested and entered the lift.
He was seen in a Pushpa 2 merchandise hoodie with the epic dialogue from his film, "Flower nahi, fire hai."
Hoodie says everything…!!!
— Royal Salute 🫡🍀 (@KALKI_2024) December 13, 2024
He is fire 🔥
Mana AA ki thaakina DISTI poyindi anuko.
NEXT CM #AlluArjun pic.twitter.com/L4uj2aHnKG
Allu Arjun emphasized, "Arresting me is not an issue, but coming into my bedroom and not allowing me to change clothes is a bit too much."
A debate instantly erupted online on whether this wardrobe change was a deliberate attempt to garner more buzz for his film. Though the actor had an explanation, fans would love to think otherwise.
Which brings us back to where it all started. Is star power everything?
It definitely worked wonders for the Pushpa star this year. Embroiled in controversies right from cliche storylines, degrading misogynistic characters, and debatable arrests—the outcome was what was intended, a blockbuster outing at the movies.
It almost makes this whole shebang look like white noise, where the OG concoction of massy films continue to win, while the impact that such visuals have, is ignored and put to rest.
Be it in reel, or real, Pushpa AKA Allu Arjun stood steadfast in his character arc-"Jhukega nahi saala."
The film has its third instalment Pushpa: The Rampage already announced. At this point, Pushpa is a raging fire. Jhukega Nahi.
