Hero worship gone wrong

Pushpa 2: The Rule, the most successful film of 2024, is built around a man who ravages nature, and appears to care only for himself

- Deepanjana Pal

At one point in the first half of Pushpa 2: The Rule, the titular hero (played by Allu Arjun) throws down a challenge to his nemesis, the police officer Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat (Fahadh Faasil).

Pushpa promises to whisk an enormous heap of red sanders logs out from under the noses of patrolling cops, just to snub Shekhawat. In this battle of egos between two insecure and maniacal men, red sandalwood becomes the pawn.

Soon enough, we see thousands of logs piled up as tall as a multi-storey building. Pushpa stands atop the pile, a vision of smug swagger. It's supposed to be a hero moment, but to me it was reminiscent of Saruman from The Lord of the Rings, surveying with satisfaction the land he had laid waste.

Except, with Saruman, the stare was meant to be a sign of evil. Here, we are meant to revel in Pushpa's omnipotence. The thrilling way he is later able to best Shekhawat is meant to establish him as a modern lord of the forest.