Pushpa: The Rise is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language action drama film[15] written and directed by Sukumar. It stars Allu Arjun as the title character alongside Fahadh Faasil (his Telugu debut), and Rashmika Mandanna while Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari, Sunil, Raj Tirandasu, Rao Ramesh, Dhananjaya, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Ajay and Ajay Ghosh play supporting roles. It is produced by Mythri Movie Makers in association with Muttamsetty Media. The first installment in the Pushpa film series, the film depicts the rise of a coolie Pushpa Raj in the smuggling syndicate of red sandalwood, a rare wood that grows only in the Seshachalam Hills of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh state.
Devi Sri Prasad composed the film’s score and soundtrack while the cinematography and editing are performed by Miroslaw Kuba Brozek and Karthika Srinivas–Ruben respectively. The film began its production in December 2019 but was halted in March 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming resumed in November 2020 and ended in November 2021, predominantly taking place at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad and Maredumilli forest in Andhra Pradesh.
Pushpa: The Rise was released on 17 December 2021. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly of Allu Arjun, Sunil and Fahadh Faasil), action choreography, cinematography, direction, dialogues, and soundtrack but criticised the runtime, screenplay and editing.[16][17][18][19][20] The film was commercially successful, grossing ₹360 crore (US$45 million)-₹373 crore (US$47 million) at the box office. It became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2021, and ranks among the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time.[21]
At the 69th National Film Awards, Pushpa: The Rise won 2 awards – Best Actor (Arjun) and Best Music Direction (Prasad).[22] At the 67th Filmfare Awards South, the film received 8 nominations, including Best Actress – Telugu (Mandanna), and won 7 awards, including Best Film – Telugu, Best Director – Telugu (Sukumar) and Best Actor – Telugu (Arjun).[23]
A sequel titled Pushpa 2: The Rule is under production and is scheduled to release on 15 August 2024.[24