“Ab rule Pushpa ka,” roars Allu Arjun in the video released on his birthday to announce the sequel to the freak blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise. While his fee for Pushpa: The Rise was around 45 crore rupees, Telugu superstar Allu Arjun has hiked his fee to nearly double that amount for the sequel.
And he deserves every penny of the padded payment. Allu Arjun is exceptionally effective as the forest-bred bandit who takes on the sandalwood mafia. Pushpa: The Rise frequently has us scratching our heads in disbelief stretching all incredulity beyond breaking point to show the loutish hero making his way up the crime syndicate with the kind of street wisdom that wouldn’t fool a child from a primary school let alone all these hardened sadistic criminals who don’t just threaten to blow off their enemies’ heads, they go right ahead and do the dirty deed.
