Mythri Movie Makers and Muttamsetty Media are the producers of the action-drama film Pushpa: The Rise, an Indian production released in 2021 in Telugu. The film is written and directed by Sukumar. In the movie, Allu Arjun plays Pushpa Raj, a coolie who becomes involved in a gang that smuggles red sandalwood, a rare wood that can only be found in Andhra Pradesh’s Seshachalam Hills. Fahadh Faasil (making his Telugu debut), Rashmika Mandanna, Dhananjaya, Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari, Ajay, Raj Tirandasu, Sunil, Rao Ramesh, Ajay Ghosh, Shatru, Shanmukh, and Anasuya Bharadwaj are among the ensemble supporting cast members.
The COVID-19 epidemic interrupted the film’s production in March 2020, after it had started in December 2019. November 2020 saw the start of filming again, and it concluded in November 2021. Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad and Maredumilli were the main locations.
Pushpa: The Rise was released on 17 December 2021. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances, action choreography, cinematography, direction, dialogues, and soundtrack but criticised the runtime, screenplay and editing. The film was commercially successful, grossing over ₹360–373 crore at the worldwide box office. It became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2021 and ranks among the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time. In 2024 it was featured retrospectively at the 74th Berlinale.
At the 69th National Film Awards, Pushpa: The Rise won two awards – Best Actor (Arjun) and Best Music Direction (Prasad). At the 67th Filmfare Awards South, it won seven awards meant for Telugu films, including Best Film, Best Director (Sukumar) and Best Actor (Arjun). It is the first installment in the Pushpa film series, and a sequel titled Pushpa 2: The Rule is scheduled for release on 6 December 2024.
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Sukumar |
| Written by | Sukumar |
| Screenplay by | Sukumar |
| Dialogues by | Srikanth Vissa |
| Produced by | Naveen Yerneni Yalamanchili Ravi Shankar |
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| Cinematography | Miroslaw Kuba Brozek |
| Edited by | Karthika Srinivas Ruben |
| Music by | Devi Sri Prasad |
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Production
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Release date
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Running time
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179 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹200–250 crore |
| Box office | ₹360–373 crore |
Cast
- Allu Arjun as Pushpa Raj
- Master Dhruvan as Young Pushpa Raj
- Fahadh Faasil as SP Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat IPS, egotistic police officer of rank SSP who is humiliated by Pushpa for insulting him and eventually swears revenge as retaliation
- Rashmika Mandanna as Srivalli, Pushpa’s love interest and fiancee later turned wife
- Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari as Kesava aka Mondelu, Pushpa’s close ally who is associated to him in his every step
- Sunil as Mangalam Srinu, a repressive man who manages the syndicate and is eventually overthrown by Pushpa
- Rao Ramesh as MP Bhumireddy Siddappa Naidu, a politician who appoints Pushpa to manage the syndicate as Srinu’s replacement
- Dhananjaya as Jaali Reddy; Konda Reddy and Jakka Reddy’s younger brother who dislikes Pushpa for his popularity and ended up getting beaten up by him for blackmailing Srivalli
- Anasuya Bharadwaj as Dakshayani “Daksha”, Srinu’s wife who seeks to take revenge on Pushpa for her brother’s death
- Ajay as Molleti Mohan Raj, Pushpa’s elder half-brother who refuses to accept him
- Ajay Ghosh as Konda Reddy, Pushpa’s former employer turned partner who is murdered by Mogileesu
- Shatrau as DSP Govindappa, who seeks to expose the syndicate
- Shanmukh as Jakka Reddy, Konda Reddy’s younger brother and Pushpa’s partner
- Sritej as Molleti Dharma Raj, Pushpa’s second elder half-brother
- Pavani Karanam as Pushpa’s niece and Mohan’s daughter
- Mime Gopi as Chennai Murugan, a smuggler
- Brahmaji as Sub-Inspector Kupparaj, Bhanwar’s junior official
- Kalpalatha as Parvatamma, Pushpa’s mother who is condemned by the society for having a son out of wedlock
- Dayanand Reddy as Muniratnam, Srivalli’s father who is threatened by Govindappa to be his mole in the syndicate
- Raj Tirandasu as Mogileesu, Srinu’s brother-in-law who is killed by Pushpa
- Samantha in a guest appearance in the item number “Oo Antava Oo Oo Antava”
