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Pushpa 2 The Rule Review: Allu Arjun Reigns Supreme, Rashmika Mandanna & Fahadh Faasil Support With Gloriously Over-The-Top Performances

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Title: Pushpa 2: The Rule

Director: B. Sukumar

Cast: Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Jagapathi Babu, Dhananjaya, Rao Ramesh, Sunil, Anasuya Bharadwaj and others.

Where: In Theatres

Rating: 3.5 stars

Brace yourselves for a cinematic juggernaut where gravity isn’t just defied but utterly dismissed, and the ego is not merely bruised but gloriously worshipped. This film is the sequel to the 2021 blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise. It returns with a vengeance, promising not just a continuation of the saga but a leap into the stratosphere of South Indian mass cinema, where subtlety is but a quaint myth.

The film picks up where its predecessor left off—Pushpa Raj, essayed by the ever-charismatic Allu Arjun, has traded his local smuggling operations for an international playground. From the dense red sandalwood forests of Chittoor to global domination, Pushpa’s rise is nothing short of folklore-worthy. His awkward gait and signature hand gesture are back, more flamboyant than ever, as he bulldozes adversaries, systems, and, occasionally, logic itself.

Director Sukumar pulls out all the stops in delivering a spectacle that unapologetically caters to its target audience. The narrative blends action, drama, romance, and humour with the finesse of a curry where every spice screams for attention. The plot is delightfully absurd—Pushpa overthrows a Chief Minister because his wife Srivalli (Rashmika Mandanna) desires a photograph with the politician, halts an entire town to rescue his kidnapped niece, and schools a megalomaniacal IPS officer Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat (Fahadh Faasil) with gravity-defying stunts. Pushpa doesn’t merely fight; he performs physics-defying acrobatics with limbs tied and eyes obstructed, ensuring every punch lands as a metaphorical roar.

The dialogues are the kind that demand whistles and hoots, with lines like “Pushpa ka faisla mandir ka prasad jaisa hai…” or “Mai jhukhunga nahin sala,” ensuring they’ll echo in college canteens for years. Yet beneath the bombast lies a surprisingly resonant emotional arc. Pushpa’s journey is fuelled by a childhood scar—a bruised ego that morphs into his raison d’être. It’s this vulnerable core, exaggerated to a cinematic extreme, that holds the audience captive through the 200-minute marathon.

Performances are gloriously over the top, with Allu Arjun reigning supreme. His Pushpa is magnetic, maddening, and everything a mass hero is meant to be. Fahadh Faasil matches him beat for beat as his nemesis Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat, and their clash is a testosterone-charged spectacle. Rashmika Mandanna as Srivalli lends charm, though she often feels relegated to the sidelines, while the ensemble cast gamely contributes to the chaos.

Technically, the film is a marvel. Devi Sri Prasad’s music is a pulse-pounding delight, elevating every dramatic confrontation and choreographed brawl. Mirosław Kuba Brożek’s cinematography captures the glitz of Pushpa’s world with vivid, larger-than-life visuals. The VFX oscillates between dazzling and cartoonish, but it’s all in service of the spectacle.

For all its flaws—pacing that sags under its gargantuan runtime, a narrative that occasionally trades logic for lunacy, and a penchant for excess—it’s impossible to ignore the sheer magnetism of Pushpa 2. It’s indulgent, ridiculous, and thoroughly entertaining. The film concludes with a clear promise of more chapters to follow, and why not? In Pushpa’s world, the rise never ends—it merely finds new heights to conquer.

Entertainment

June 13 is a once-in-a-lifetime day for me, says actor Naveen Chandra

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Chennai, June 13: Actor Naveen Chandra, who has earmarked a special place for himself in both the Tamil and Telugu film industries, on Friday said that June 13 was a “once-in-a-lifetime day” for him as three of his films were being released on different platforms on the same day!

Taking to his X timeline to pen an emotional post, Naveen Chandra wrote, “June 13th — A once-in-a-lifetime day for me. Andala Rakshasi — Re-released in theatres today. Eleven — Now streaming on @PrimeVideoIN. Blind Spot — Now streaming on @PrimeVideoIN. Three films. One date. A flood of emotions and gratitude. To the audience, the universe, and everyone who stood by me — thank you from the bottom of my heart. This is one of the most memorable days of my journey. #AndalaRakshasi #Eleven #BlindSpot #June13 #InCinemasNow #StreamingNow #PrimeVideo #ActorLife #Gratitude #CareerMilestone.”

Interestingly, the actor’s most recent film, ‘Eleven’, which has come in for critical acclaim, is still running in theatres as audiences seem to be loving its content.

Directed by Lokesh Ajls, the investigative thriller, featuring actor Naveen Chandra in the lead, revolves around a series of murders being committed in the city. The cops are certain that it is a serial killer who is at work and they realise the person they are looking to nab is a psycho with an unbelievable IQ level. What happens next is what Eleven is all about.

Apart from Naveen Chandra, the film features actress Reyaa Hari, who previously starred in ‘Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal’, Abhirami (of ‘Virumandi’ fame), Dileepan (known for ‘Vathikuchi’), and Rithvika (of ‘Madras’ fame).

It may be recalled that the makers of the film, in a move that was considered a first-of-its-kind, released a song called ‘Tamugu‘ which had both Tamil and Telugu lyrics combined!

The peppy number, which was sung by actress Andrea, had music by D Imman and lyrics by Rakendu Mouli.

Meanwhile, ‘Andala Rakshasi’, which is being re-released in theatres on Friday, is a superhit film that marked Naveen Chandra’s debut as an actor.

Directed by ace director Hanu Raghavapudi, the film was produced by Sai Korrapati and co-produced by one of India’s most successful directors, S S Rajamouli.

Apart from Naveen Chandra, the film featured actress Lavanya Tripathi in the lead.

The third film, ‘Blind Spot’, has been written and directed by Rakesh Varma and features Rashi Singh along with Naveen Chandra as the lead. Actors Ali Reza, Ravi Varma, Gayatri Bhargavi, Kishore Kumar, Harika Pedada and Harsh Roshan too play pivotal roles in the film that has music by Sriram Maddury.

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Bollywood

Dino Morea on ‘Housefull 5’: Not doing anything outrageously funny in the film

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Mumbai, June 13: Actor Dino Morea is happy with the kind of response to his latest release “Housefull 5” and he said that he has not done anything outrageously funny in the film and instead he is “suave, smooth operator with ‘devious’ plans”.

The actor shared: ‘’I’m not doing anything outrageously funny in the film. Instead, I’m the suave, smooth operator with ‘devious’ plans.”

He wanted to join the fun with the fifth installment of the “Housefull” franchise.

“But the idea of being a part of this franchise was to join in the fun. Blockbuster filmmaker, Sajid Nadiadwala, knows how to add grandeur to an installment to keep it going,” Dino said.

“Housefull 5” boasts a massive star cast. It also stars such as Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Nagis Fakri, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Chitrangada Singh, Fardeen Khan, Chunky Pandey, Johnny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Ranjeet, Soundarya Sharma, Nikitin Dheer, and Akashdeep Sabir.

Directed by Tarun Mansukhani, the film released in theatres on June 6 with two climaxes. The film is bankrolled by Sajid Nadiadwala under his home banner Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment.

The first installment of “Housefull” was released in 2010. The second installment came out in 2012. The first two films were directed by Sajid Khan.

Housefull 3, which was directed by Sajid-Farhad, hit the screens in 2016. The fourth film came out in 2019 and was directed by Farhad Samji.

Talking about Dino, he was also seen in Mere Husband Ki Biwi as Ricky Khanna. The romantic comedy film is directed by Mudassar Aziz and stars Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Rakul Preet Singh in lead roles.

Dino began his career as a fashion model and made his film debut in Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi in 1999. Over a career spanning more than two decades, he has appeared in over 50 films, primarily in the action and thriller genres.

His most popular film was the horror thriller Raaz. He also featured in Gunaah, Plan, Holiday, Dus Kahaniyaan, Bhram and Acid Factory.

In the 2020s, Morea transitioned to streaming platforms, acting in series such as Mentalhood, Hostages, Tandav, and Kaun Banegi Shikharwati.

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Bollywood

Anees Bazmee on 26 years of ‘Sirf Tum’: It’s more than just a memory

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Mumbai, June 11: As his directorial “Sirf Tum” turned 26, filmmaker Anees Bazmee called the Sanjay Kapoor-starrer a story that never ages.

Anees took to Instagram, where he shared the poster featuring Sanjay and Priya Gill. He captioned the post: “26 years of Sirf Tum Some stories never age. They only grow deeper in the hearts of those who lived them and those who watched them.”

“To be part of something so timeless, so full of pure love and raw beauty – it’s more than just a memory, it’s a blessing I carry every day. Grateful for the love.”

“Sirf Tum” also stars Jackie Shroff, Mohnish Bahl and Sushmita Sen. With soulful music by Nadeem-Shravan, the film is a remake of the 1996 Tamil film Kadhal Kottai. It told the story of Deepak and Aarti falling in love with each other but they have never met. They exchange letters but do not know about each other’s whereabouts.

Talking about Bazmee, he made his directorial debut with Hulchul in 1995, however his first commercial success came in 1998 with the film Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of the year.

He went on to direct the top-grossing comedies including No Entry, Welcome, Singh Is Kinng, Ready, Welcome Back, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.

Sanjay made his debut in Hindi cinema in 1995 with the movie Prem, opposite Tabu. His next movie was Raja opposite Madhuri Dixit. He went on to star in several films as a lead actor such as Auzaar, Mohabbat and Sirf Tum.

In 2002, he appeared as a villain playing the psychotic husband of Esha Deol in Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe. The actor started playing supporting roles in films like Qayamat: City Under Threat, Julie, Luck By Chance and Shaandaar.

He turned to producing with his first production Tevar starring his nephew Arjun Kapoor releasing in 2015. He played a cameo appearing alongside his brother Anil for the first time in Mubarakan.

In early 2018, Sanjay was cast in the anthology film Lust Stories as a lead character opposite actress Manisha Koirala. He was cast in the movie The Zoya Factor as his real life niece Sonam Kapoor’s on screen father.

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