Every movie needs a good villain. And Fahadh Faasil’s reprisal of Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat in Pushpa 2: The Rule had viewers screaming their lungs out. His fiery showdown—where he rounds up all of Pushpa’s workers and the prized sandalwood—was met with roars of laughter and applause.
That’s where the magic fizzles out.
After this stellar introduction, Faasil’s character just tanks. The so-called IPS officer is reduced to a clown, with none of his moves landing the punch they’re supposed to.
Shekhawat exists only to amplify Pushpa’s glory. It’s a disservice to the character. With such a lacklustre villain, even Pushpa’s victories feel underwhelming.
Sure, smugglers getting the better of the police isn’t a revolutionary narrative. But after the first film’s climax, I expected more. I wanted tension, angst, and a nail-biting showdown.
Critics also upset
Film critics were flabbergasted and disappointed by this watered-down villainy.
“The role Faasil was given in Pushpa 2 was underwhelming. Fans expected more and were left disappointed as the character could have been written better. The script didn’t offer him much scope,” said film critic Ramesh Bala. According to him, there was no real balance or rivalry between the hero and the villain.
But this is not an aberration in south Indian films.
“Here, heroes often dominate the narrative, while villains are reduced to caricatures—over-the-top buffoons who fail to pose any real threat. In this case, there wasn’t a single scene where Faasil’s character felt like a true challenge to Pushpa,” Bala added.
Pushpa 2 could have changed this narrative. A few south Indian movies have successfully broken from this traditional hero-villain equation. Case in point—Rana Daggubati’s Bhallaladeva in Baahubali and Vijay Sethupathi’s Bhavani in Master.
Unfortunately, Pushpa 2 was a missed opportunity.
“From the first scene of the first film, the writer and director have kept the benchmark that none of the villains are able to hamper the heroism of Pushpa,” said film critic Kalpeshraj Kubal.
Also read: Pushpa is a flower too. He sheds tears before women, is vulnerable
Ruthless to joker
To be fair, Faasil gave it his all. His comic timing and expressions were a solid 10, and his playful banter with Pushpa had the audience in splits. But here’s the problem—it left me wanting more. A lot more. And Pushpa 2 didn’t deliver.
For Kubal, when it comes to choosing between Faasil and Allu Arjun, his preference leans toward the former as the better actor.
“Because Faasil knows exactly when to put a full stop, while Allu Arjun seems to thrive on exclamation marks in his performances.”
Faasil is a powerhouse performer whose talent was barely used. Pushpa 2 gave him a flashy opening but left his true potential criminally unexplored.
In Pushpa: The Rise, Faasil’s character was pure menace. He wasn’t just a cunning officer playing mind games; he was ruthless, driven by his ego. His relentless attempts to degrade Pushpa at every turn showed just how far he was willing to go to assert dominance and stay in control.
One of the most striking moments in the film was their first face-off, where Shekhawat forces Pushpa to strip. It isn’t just about humiliation—it’s a calculated move to establish psychological superiority.
He is sadistic, enjoying the act of breaking his opponent bit by bit, solidifying his position as a true, terrifying antagonist.
By the end of the first film, when Pushpa turns the tables and humiliates him, the rage simmering in Faasil’s eyes says it all. Beneath his defeated exterior, you sense the fire of a man who won’t let the insult go unanswered—a dangerous predator biding his time.
So you’re primed for an explosive revenge arc in part two—only to end up with a phuski bomb.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
Faasil hardly has any talent. He is all media hype.
God knows why, but the media has a soft corner for him. And he uses that to good effect to further his “talent”.
Just like Ms. Gulati suffers from “lame journalism” syndrome.