Pushpa: The Rise

Pushpa: The Rise (Telugu pronunciation: [puʂpa]) is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, together with Muttamsetty Media. The first installment in the Pushpa film series, it stars Allu Arjun in the titular role, alongside an ensemble cast of Shatru, Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil (in his Telugu debut), Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari, Dhananjaya, Sunil, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Rao Ramesh, Ajay and Ajay Ghosh. The film follows Pushpa, a daily wage labourer who rises through the ranks of a syndicate involved in smuggling red sandalwood, a rare wood found only in the Seshachalam Hills of Andhra Pradesh.

The film began 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, primarily taking place at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad and the Maredumilli forest in Andhra Pradesh. The music was composed by Devi Sri Prasad, with cinematography by Miroslaw Kuba Brozek.

Pushpa: The Rise was released worldwide on 17 December 2021 in theatres to mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances, action choreography, cinematography, direction, dialogues, and soundtrack but criticised the runtime, screenplay, plot, editing and its similarities with the KGF franchise. The film was commercially successful, grossing over ₹350–360 crore at the worldwide box office. It became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2021 and ranks among the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time.

It was dubbed in Hindi with Shreyas Talpade, Rajesh Khattar and Sahil Vaid dubbing for Allu Arjun, Fahad Faasil and Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari respectively.

At the 69th National Film Awards, Pushpa: The Rise won two awards – Best Actor (Arjun) and Best Music Direction (Prasad). At the 67th Filmfare Awards South, it won seven awards meant for Telugu films, including Best Film, Best Director (Sukumar) and Best Actor (Arjun). The 74th Berlinale retrospectively featured it in 2024. A sequel titled Pushpa 2: The Rule was released on 5 December 2024.