In just 13 days, Movie of Allu Arjun, Pushpa 2: The Rule has risen to the third-highest-grossing Indian film ever. It is currently approaching the ₹1500-crore milestone.
In one of the many climactic scenes in Pushpa 2: The Rule, the character of Allu Arjun, Pushpa Raj beats hundreds of goons while holding his hands behind his back, defying gravity. The battle scene is a continuation of the mass-market style of film that Vijay, Salman Khan, Rajinikanth, and Chiranjeevi have solidly established over the past few decades. Last year, Shah Rukh Khan even joined in on the fun.
Allu Arjun and Sukumar raised the bar with Pushpa 2. The receipts from the box office serve as evidence. Despite its lack of intelligence, Pushpa 2 is the result of a flawless mass formula created purely for entertainment.
Film of Allu Arjun, Pushpa 2 is refinement of the Baahubali model
The success of Pushpa 2 follows a model that we previously saw in Baahubali and KGF. The first movie introduces the globe and the star to Hindi fans, laying the groundwork for its pan-India triumph. Then, the second movie has the highest record collecting ever. Pushpa: The Rise was not a box office hit in its nation, which set the Sukumar film apart from the other two. The Hindi dub became a huge hit, whereas the Telugu version was only a “hit.” Pushpa 2’s success was therefore always reliant on the Hindi version’s performance.
As of this writing, Pushpa 2: The Rule has made ₹953 crore net in India, with the Hindi version accounting for ₹591 crore of that total. Pushpa 2’s Hindi version has triumphed over Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan and Rajamouli’s Baahubali 2, the first pan-Indian hit. It is on track to overtake Jawan as well and become the highest-grossing “Hindi” film ever made. Pan-India success is what that is. It’s no small accomplishment to defeat India’s most bankable filmmaker and Bollywood’s top star in the Hindi market. It’s mind-blowing to do all of this in less than two weeks.
How Sukumar made the formula flawless
Indeed, Allu Arjun’s fame and popularity are largely responsible for the movie’s success. Young people from all over the Hindi belt flocked to the cinemas to see Pushpa. Director Sukumar, however, is also deserving of recognition for his work on the monitor. Pushpa 2’s success can be easily written off as the result of a formula. However, it’s also dumb. Dozens of directors try to follow this approach every year. As Adipurush, Vikrant Rona, and Kanguva can tell you, however, even with the biggest names, most fall short. Pushpa 2 was successful because Sukumar made sure the formula was supported by the right ingredients: a plot that resonated with the target demographic, colorful characters, and a relatable hero. Baahubali was an icon, Rocky Bhai was an aspirational figure, but Pushpa is one of them, and they are their own. And by putting Pushpa on the ground, Sukumar made sure the movie would succeed.
The marketing campaign, which included a trailer release in Patna of all places, solidified Pushpa 2’s goal of being the first Hindi-belt film. As evidence of the effectiveness of this approach, Pushpa 2 has made more money in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the first 13 days than in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Baahubali and RRR, both Telugu films, did great in the north, but Pushpa rides the wave of its success in Hindi.
A well-considered gamble that succeeded
The only negative aspect of Pushpa 2’s excellent record has been its lackluster Kerala box office performance. The Tamil version of the movie made ₹50 crore, whereas the Malayalam version only made ₹14 crore. Given that the antagonist there is Fahadh Faasil, one of the biggest Malayalam performers today, many are taken aback by this. However, that might be the precise cause. Many have pointed out that the film’s portrayal of Fahadh’s Shekhawat as a weak antagonist may have had an impact on the performance in Kerala.
However, I think Sukumar and the producers made a planned decision. Not Pushpa vs. Shekhawat, but Pushpa 2 is the movie. It was never about competing against Vikram or even a Master. Here, the embodiment of ‘Thaggede la’, which is Pushpa Raj, must constantly be the center of attention. Sukumar’s script might have benefited Shekhawat’s Kerala box office receipts if it had been better. However, that might also have made Pushpa seem less impressive, and Sukumar was aware that this would not be good for his movie.
The cash registers that ring are ultimately evidence that the plan is effective. Imagining a pan-India blockbuster is one thing, but making it happen is quite another. Sukumar did it in a way that his movie is surpassing both Shah Rukh Khan’s popularity and SS Rajamouli’s efforts at the box office. Pushpa 2 is getting closer to ₹1500 crore as its second week draws to a conclusion (insert mind-blown emoji here). And already, some are wondering if it will surpass Dangal and Baahubali 2. It may not, but the impact of Pushpa 2 is evident from the fact that it has even raised that query.
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