The makers of Allu Arjun’s upcoming film Pushpa directed by Sukumar have announced that Fahadh Faasil will play the villain. The film, which will be released in Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi, has Rashmika Mandanna playing the female lead. Calling Fahadh Faasil ‘Mollywood’s Powerhouse’, production house Mythri Movie Makers tweeted, “Welcoming Fahadh Faasil on board for the biggest face-off.”
Pushpa is reportedly set in the backdrop of red sandalwood smuggling. It was recently reported that the latest schedule of the film was happening in Kerala. Shooting so far has taken place in Visakhapatnam, and the Maredumilli forest area of East Godavari. The film's shooting was resumed in November after a long pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, it was briefly put on hold again when six members of the film’s crew tested positive for the coronavirus.
Welcoming #FahadhFaasil on board for the biggest face-off @alluarjun @iamRashmika @aryasukku @ThisIsDSP @PushpaMovie #VillainOfPushpa #Pushpa
— Mythri Movie Makers (@MythriOfficial) March 21, 2021
పుష్ప പുഷ്പ புஷ்பா ಪುಷ್ಪ पुष्पा pic.twitter.com/ndweB09rXi
Earlier, Vijay Sethupathi was rumoured to be playing the antagonist in Pushpa. Incidentally, the actor played the villain in the recent Telugu film Uppena, which was produced by Sukumar and Mythri Movie Makers. Devi Sri Prasad, who has composed music for all of Sukumar’s films, is on board for Pushpa too.
Sukumar’s last film to release was the critically acclaimed super hit film Rangasthalam, starring Ram Charan, Samantha, Aadhi Pinisetty, Jagapathi Babu and Prakash Raj. Allu Arjun’s last film to release was Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, which was also a massive commercial success. Allu Arjun also enjoys massive popularity among audiences in Kerala, with his Telugu films dubbed in Malayalam being hugely successful.
Fahadh Faasil was widely acclaimed for his negative role in the 2019 Malayalam film Kumbalangi Nights. It was recently announced that his film Irul will premiere on Netflix on April 2. Earlier this month, the actor sustained a nose injury after a fall while shooting for his upcoming Malayalam movie Malayankunju. He reportedly underwent a minor surgery and was discarged the same day that he was admitted to the hospital.
Rashmika is awaiting the release of her Tamil debut Sultan, which has Karthi playing the male lead, and is directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan.