2021 · Film
Pushpa: The Rise
Telugu action drama by Sukumar in which a daily-wage labourer, played by Allu Arjun, rises through a red sandalwood smuggling syndicate in Andhra Pradesh's forests.
Reviewed by Movie Mandala, Sun, 18 Oct, 2026
Where to watch
IndiaAs of 18 October 2026, Pushpa: The Rise is free to watch in India on MX Player.
MX Player
Free
Hindi version, free with ads through the MX Player channel on Prime Video.
Checked Sun, 18 Oct, 2026Open ↗
The story
In the late 1990s, Pushpa Raju, a proud daily-wage labourer in the Seshachalam forests of Andhra Pradesh, starts work as a red sandalwood cutter for a smuggling syndicate. He quickly rises through its ranks by outwitting the police and finding new ways to move the contraband past checkpoints, while rival smugglers grow wary of him. Stung by taunts over his birth, he is determined to build something of his own, and he falls for Srivalli, a local milk vendor. Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna star.
Spoiler-free: only the set-up.
Who it suits
Start here if you plan to watch Pushpa 2, or if you like rugged crime sagas about ambition, pride and clashes with the law. It runs about three hours and has frequent violence, including ambushes and brutal fights.
Curation to help you choose, not a review.
Background
Pushpa: The Rise is the first part of Sukumar's two-film story, which continues in Pushpa 2: The Rule (5 December 2024). Mythri Movie Makers and Muttamsetty Media produced it. It opened on 17 December 2021 in Telugu, with Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi versions released the same day; AA Films distributed the Hindi dub. Prime Video began streaming the Telugu version on 7 January 2022 and the Hindi version a week later.
The film grossed about ₹350-360 crore worldwide. At the 69th National Film Awards, Allu Arjun won Best Actor and Devi Sri Prasad won Best Music Direction. It also won seven awards at the 67th Filmfare Awards South, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor.
The facts
- Language
- Telugu
- Hindi
- Hindi dub available
- Genre
- Action drama, Crime
- Runtime
- 179 min
- Director
- Sukumar
- Cast
- Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Dhananjaya, Rao Ramesh
Questions people ask
- Where can I watch Pushpa: The Rise in India?
- As of 18 October 2026, Pushpa: The Rise is free to watch in India on MX Player.
- Is Pushpa: The Rise available in Hindi?
- Yes. Pushpa: The Rise was made in Telugu, and a Hindi-dubbed version is available on MX Player.
- How long is Pushpa: The Rise?
- Pushpa: The Rise runs for 2 hours 59 minutes (179 minutes).