Pushpa: The Rise

Pushpa: The Rise – Part 01 is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language action drama film^[7] written and directed by Sukumar. It stars Allu Arjun as the titular character alongside Fahadh Faasil (his Telugu debut), and Rashmika Mandanna while Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari, Sunil, Rao Ramesh, Dhananjaya, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Ajay and Ajay Ghosh play supporting roles. It is produced by Mythri Movie Makers in association with Muttamsetty Media. The first of two cinematic parts, the film depicts the rise of a coolie in the smuggling syndicate of red sandalwood, a rare wood that grows only in the Seshachalam Hills of Andhra Pradesh state.

Devi Sri Prasad composed the film's score and soundtrack while the cinematography and editing are performed by Miroslaw Kuba Brozek and Karthika Srinivas–Ruben respectively. The film began its 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, predominantly taking place at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad and Maredumilliforest in Andhra Pradesh.

Pushpa: The Rise was released on 17 December 2021 in Telugu along with dubbed versions in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Kannada languages. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics who praised the performances (particularly of Allu Arjun and Fahadh Faasil), action sequences, cinematography, direction, and songs but criticised the runtime and editing.^[8][9][10] The film is commercially successful, grossing ₹365 crore at the box office. The film emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film in 2021, and ranks among the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time.^[11]

A sequel titled Pushpa 2: The Rule is under production.^[12]