Pushpa : The Rule - Part 2

 Pushpa : The Rule - Part 2

Director : Sukumar

Writers : A.R. PrabhavRajendra SapreSukumar

Stars : Allu Arjun,Rashmika Mandanna,Fahadh Faasil.

Pushpa 2: The Rule is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language action drama film[8] written and directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers in association with Sukumar Writings. A sequel to Pushpa: The Rise (2021), it is the second installment in the Pushpa film series. The film stars Allu Arjun in the titular role, alongside Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Jagapathi Babu, Sunil, and Rao Ramesh. It follows Pushpa Raj, a labourer-turned-red sandalwood smuggler, as he faces growing threats from his enemies, including SP Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat.

The sequel was officially announced in December 2021, shortly before the release of the first film, with the title Pushpa 2 and later rebranded as Pushpa 2: The Rule in August 2022.[9][10] Although a portion of the film was initially shot back-to-back with the first film, director Sukumar revised the storyline, leading to principal photography beginning in October 2022. The film features music composed by Devi Sri Prasad, cinematography by Mirosław Kuba Brożek, and editing by Naveen Nooli. Made on a budget of ₹400–500 crore,[3][11] it is among the most expensive Indian films ever produced. With a runtime of 200–224 minutes,[12][2] it is also one of the longest Indian films.[13]

Pushpa 2: The Rule was released worldwide on 5 December 2024 in standard, IMAX, 4DX, D-Box and PVR ICE formats to positive reviews from critics. The film set several box office records, grossing over ₹1,642 crore (US$190 million), making it the highest-grossing film in India, the highest-grossing Indian film of the year, the second highest-grossing Telugu film, and the third highest-grossing Indian film worldwide.[a]

Plot

A consignment of red sandalwood arrives at the Yokohama port in Japan, where workers are shocked to find Pushpa hidden inside one of the containers. He attacks them, demanding payment for the load but is shot and falls into the sea, triggering a flashback.

After humiliating SP Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat,[b] Pushpa rises to power as a respected smuggler, while Shekhawat goes into hiding. Shekhawat secretly masquerades as a laborer and intercepts a massive sandalwood consignment. Meanwhile, Pushpa meets the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Narasimha Reddy, but is denied a photograph with him to avoid political backlash. Offended, Pushpa vows to topple the government by making Siddappa the Chief Minister, raising ₹500 crores through sandalwood smuggling. Pushpa strikes a deal with Central Minister Kogatam Veera Pratap Reddy and meets international buyer Hameed in Maldives to sell 2,000 tons of sandalwood for ₹5,000 crores. Several smugglers join Pushpa's syndicate, but Mangalam Srinu and Dakshayani, along with Shekhawat, plot to sabotage the operation. Shekhawat kills one of the syndicate members, causing fear among the others, who urge Pushpa to relinquish his leadership to Srinu. Siddappa later, tries to finish the rivalry between Pushpa and Shekhawat and asks Pushpa to say sorry to Shekhawat at a meeting. However, Pushpa again brutally disrespects Shekhawat for being a corrupted cop, later Shekhawat swears to catch all the consignment of red sandalwood.

Pushpa, however, manages to use his tricks and ways to smuggle the sandalwood to Chennai until its final destination in Sri Lanka. During the transport, Shekhawat catches up and shoots down all the trucks, forcing the drivers to escape. The media lauds Shekhawat for the raid, but Srinu realizes the load was not sandalwood but Sandra, a wood that resembles red sandalwood but holds no market value. Pushpa had instead created bullock carts with the actual load and transported it to Chennai, indirectly aided by Shekhawat himself. Shekhawat asks Srinu to get 1 tonne of original red sandalwood to fool the Examination committee and works on to trace Pushpa's original consignment. In the news, it is shown that the consignment caught was real sandalwood, causing fear amongst the syndicate members. Later, they hold a meeting where everyone questions Pushpa about the whereabouts of the original consignment. Pushpa ensures that it is safe and tells the location of the load only to Jakka Reddy.

Meanwhile, Srivalli discovers she is pregnant, and Pushpa celebrates. However, tragedy strikes when his niece, Kaveri, is assaulted during the Jathara festival by Bugga Reddy and his gang. Pushpa beats them up, humiliates them, and sents them back. Shekhawat eventually obtains permission and manages to track the consignment to Rameswaram as he had spied on Jakka Reddy but fails to capture it before it crosses the Indian-Sri Lankan border. However, Hameed's gang is caught by the police and while fleeing, Hameed's car rollsover, in which Jakka Reddy is killed and Hameed is gravely injured. Shekhawat gets to know from him that the sandalwood was going to Japan and Pushpa was going to get the money through hawala. Hameed was the only one who knew the name of the Japanese broker, who would ensure the money would be delivered to Pushpa, but before telling him the name of the broker, he is killed by Shekhawat.

Shekhawat then eventually breaks the connection between Pushpa, the original consignment, and Japan. To obtain the money for the consignment, Pushpa prepares to travel to Japan by stowing away in a ship container, whereupon reaching the Yokohama Port, he fights the yakuza, bringing the story back to the beginning of the film. As Pushpa is shot and falls in the sea, he emerges back, and proves to the Japanese boss, Hiroshi, that he is the owner of the sandalwood consignment. Eventually, Hiroshi delivers the money to Pushpa and asks him to deal with him directly in the future, thus removing all the brokers and enhancing the partnership between India and Japan. Pushpa uses the money to make Siddappa the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, as promised. He then goes to Jaali Reddy's house to mourn the death of Jakka Reddy. Pushpa tries to negotiate with Jaali, however, the later ignores him and continues their rivalry. Shekhawat becomes furious as he was going to get exposed for catching fake sandalwood and while burning the storage site, he seemingly kills himself in the blaze.

As Pushpa, Siddappa, and his gang celebrate, tragedy strikes again as Kaveri is kidnapped and assaulted by Bugga Reddy, who wanted revenge for his humiliation at the Jathara festival. Later, it is revealed that Bugga Reddy is the nephew of Minister Veera Pratap Reddy, who tries to negotiate with Pushpa to leave Bugga alone. However, a furious Pushpa manages to rescue Kaveri and brutally kills Bugga and his gang, along with Subba Reddy, Bugga's father and Pratap Reddy's younger brother. At their funeral, Pratap Reddy along with Srinu, Dakshayani, Jaali Reddy, Murugan, and the others swear revenge against Pushpa. Pratap Reddy then asks about an important mysterious person as he was not present at the funeral.

Pushpa's elder brother, Mohan, later apologises to Pushpa and his family for all the mistreatment he caused and invites them to Kaveri's wedding, accepting them wholly as his family. As Pushpa reconciles with his estranged family at Kaveri's wedding, the mysterious figure detonates a bomb at the wedding.