When the trailer of Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2: The Rule was launched in Patna, thousands thronged the event, eager to catch a glimpse of the star who embodies the almost-mythical protagonist of the franchise. For an audience often alienated by language barriers, Pushpa speaks a universal dialect of defiance and resilience. Bihar, a state known for its rampant worker migration, connects deeply with Pushpa’s disheveled hair, stained clothes, and beedi-smoking demeanor. He isn’t just a cinematic hero; he’s one of them. His unyielding self-respect and fearless defiance become cathartic, a cinematic escape from their oppressive reality.The overwhelming success of Pushpa in the northern belts lies in this inherent working-class ethos. When modern Hindi cinema heroes often emerge from urban spaces, suited up and armed with high-tech gadgets, Pushpa cuts a strikingly raw figure, holding nothing more than an axe. This spirit of rebellion and dignity recalls Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic working-class hero from Deewar (1975). In the first Pushpa, when his boss asks him to change his sitting posture, Pushpa quits the job, refusing even an extra note offered as a settlement. “This is enough for the work I have done,” he says, echoing Bachchan’s Vijay in Deewar: “Main aaj bhi phenke hue paise nahi uthata” (I refuse to accept money that is thrown at me). Like Vijay, Pushpa’s anthem, “Main Jhukega Nahi” (I will not bow), captures his unrelenting quest for dignity. At its heart, Pushpa thrives on the underdog sentiment, coupled with Sukumar’s stylised visuals. Pushpa is a ‘local hero,’ his swagger embodied in his bent walk and the now-iconic gesture of brushing his beard. Allu Arjun, who fittingly won a national award for his performance, is Pushpa incarnate in both films. This isn’t a performance aimed to play up stardom; this is simply the actor trusting that the character is bigger than him. And it works. Pushpa’s violent retaliation against authority isn’t just about him; it’s an empowering release for audiences. In Pushpa 2: The Rule, Sukumar takes this to greater heights, presenting challenges that Pushpa conquers with rowdy flamboyance. And for that reason — and for the wave of support this character has garnered across the country — he is our newsmaker this week.Beneath the hyperactive exterior, the films are nuanced character studies of a broken man fighting back. While Pushpa’s alpha-male tendencies dominate his business dealings, his interactions with his mother and wife reveal a vulnerable core (captured in the song Sooseki). This duality — fearless on the outside, tender at home — grounds Pushpa and sets him apart from characters like Ranbir Kapoor’s Ranvijay in Animal, whose narcissism consumes everything around. Pushpa, like Bachchan’s Vijay, is ultimately tethered by love.
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