The makers of Pushpa, starring Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna, have decided to remove an intimate scene from the film that drew flak from audiences. Sources from Mythri Movie Makers, the production house bankrolling the film, confirmed to TNM that a scene that is nearly four minutes long has been cut from the movie. The trimmed version of Pushpa: The Rise has been playing in theatres since Monday, December 20.
The intimate scene features Srivalli (Rashmika Mandanna) spending time with Pushpa Raj (Allu Arjun) in his car after they begin a romantic relationship. Pushpa touches Srivalli's bosom in the scene, although this is not shown explicitly. They are heard talking about it, with Srivalli asking Pushpa to remove his hand. The makers have removed the scene after taking into consideration the negative responses it has garnered from a section of the audience.
Pushpa: The Rise has a runtime of nearly three hours. Reports suggest that the makers might further trim the film to reduce the runtime. The pan-Indian project, which was released in five languages including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada, is one of the most-anticipated films that has hit the big screens in recent times. Helmed by filmmaker Sukumar, the film also stars Mollywood actor Fahadh Faasil as the main antagonist. Pushpa marks Fahadh’s debut in Telugu films.
The plot of Pushpa revolves around the smuggling of red sandalwood. Speaking at the film’s pre-release event, Allu Arjun said that it is one of the most challenging films in his career. He also added, “We had to shoot in remote forests. Some of the places did not have roads through which one could access the locations. Because of COVID-19, we also had to cut down on the size of the crew. We have been shooting for two years. I have been saying that the effort we have put in for Pushpa is equivalent to that of four films.”
(With inputs from IANS)