Theatre screens Pushpa 2’s second half without showing the first half; audience says, ‘In a period of non-linear narrative films…’

“We are in no mood to go back without watching the first half of the movie. At least then we can judge for ourselves how well the climax merges with the first half,” said Tony Chakiath, manager of a private firm, who had booked the show with his Tamil Nadu boss.

Yielding to the pressure, around 9 pm the Cinepolis authorities screened the first half of the movie for the viewers, numbering hardly 10 by then.

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Meanwhile, the theatre reportedly promised the movie watchers that the money would be refunded in their account.
However, Liji of Gandhinagar and her husband who came out of the cinema hall were unable to come to terms with the bizarre experience of watching the first half of Pushpa 2 after its climax. They questioned the logic of refund for viewers who had set aside their valuable time to watch the movie at one go. “In a period of non-linear narrative films, a first-time viewer won’t be able to decipher whether the Pushpa 2 scenes are in the right order or not despite sitting through the movie till the ‘intermission’ part,” she said.

Pushpa 2, also starring Rashmika Mandanna, was released on December 5 as a sequel to the 2021 blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise. The film saw grand promotional campaigns in cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Chennai, promising to take fans on an exhilarating journey into the life of Pushpa Raj, a coolie who rises to dominate the red sandalwood smuggling trade.