Life lessons from Pushpa 2

Pushpa-2, The Telugu movie released in Dec 2024, set the theatres ablaze with a collection of over Rs 1800 crore worldwide. Written & directed by Sukumar , the movie stars Allu Arjun (Icon star) , Rashmika Mandana, Fahaadh Faasil , Rao Ramesh in lead roles. Here are a few Life Lessons from different scenes & situations of the movie.

Lesson 1 : Compliment wife whenever she cooks something special for you

Situation : Srivalli has cooked mutton & asks Pushpa to taste

Pushpa is in an important meeting with members of syndicate. His wife srivalli has cooked mutton . She comes over and hands a piece to Pushpa to taste. Pushpa tastes & tells ” namak jyada daal diya” . In kitchen, hell breaks loose. Srivalli attempts to throw out mutton . Pushpa leaves meeting & heads to kitchen. She complains ” Main kuch bhi banaun, tumhein pasand hi nahin aata. Mere banaaye hue khaane ki kabhi bhi tareef ki hai tumne ? Pushpa surrenders , gives execuse and finally makes up “Tere masale ki vajah se hi to pushpa ke andar ki fire jalti rahti hai” .

Khaane mein namak jyada ho to biwi ko nahin bataate, chahe wo pushpa hi kyon na ho.

Takeaway : When your wife cooks for you, its not just food, its her love too

Compliment wife when ever she cooks something special for you. Don’t overlook her feelings, efforts & labour behind it. Don’t forget to give genuine compliments. Let her know that you appreciate not just food, but also her love, efforts & labour . Also, offer to help with after work like cleaning , doing dishes etc. If something is amiss, mention it gently . “It would have tasted even better, if not for the slightly excess salt “. Be genuine, specific & considerate.

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Lesson 2 : Visualise your Goal

Situation : Pushpa declares that CM will come to his house

When asked by TV reporter about photo with Cm, Pushpa declares ” CM ghar aakar photo khinchwayeingein. 24th July ko. Ab main soch raha hun unko khaane mein kya khilaun, Murga ya bakra “. He has begun to actually visualise that CM has arrived at his house for lunch & he has even planned menu. He actually takes a photo with Sidappa and tells srinu ” Iska print leke rakh. Shapath waale din teri bhabhi ko dena.

Pushpa has begun to visualise the oath ceremony of new CM & even takes a photo in advance

Takeaway : Visualise Success

Visualisation means creating mental picture of your goal & imagining that you have achieved it. You should actually feel the joy & excitement of having achieved your goal. Visualisation increases your commitment towards the goal. It activates the same neural pathways in brain as are activated in reality . Continuous activation of these neural pathways strengthens motivation, improves focus , enhances performance. Visualisation take you to the level of your sub-conscious mind

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Lesson 3 : Think out of Box

Situation : CM refuses photo with Pushpa

CM refuses photo with Pushpa. Pushpa does not give up. Instead, he decides to replace CM. He asks Siddappa whether he will agree for a photo with him if he (Sidappa) becomes CM. Sidappa Says ” Why not” . Pushpa Declares to Sidappa ” To fir ban jao CM.”

Takeaway : Think upside down or outside in

Under usual thought process, one would think of ways to convince CM for a photo. But Pushpa thinks of replacing CM with a person who does not mind a photo with Pushpa. That’s out of box thinking. If you can’t go to well for water, think of digging a well at your place.

Pushpa transports consignment of original red sandal in bullock carts , while police force chases & seizes trucks 

That’s another example of out of box thinking. Don’t always follow the beaten track. Improvise, Innovate. Think uncoventional. Think out of box

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Lesson 4 : Divide a project into smaller sub-projects and assign to team

Situation : Delivery of consignment of 2000 tonnes

Pushpa has to deliver a conignment of 2000 tonnes of red sandal. He splits the quantity into smaller chunks of 100 – 200 tonnes & assigns sub tasks to his team members. Looked at as a whole, , 2000 tonne is a huge quantity and daunting target. But when it is split into chunks of 100-200 tonnes , assigned to a no. of members of a team, the target looks achievable.

Takeaway : Divide big task into smaller sub tasks

When you look at a big project in totality, you may be overwhelmed . The project will look very difficult to achieve or even not achievable. But if you break up the project into smaller sub projects and assign each sub project to your team members, it will look doable & achievable. Don’t try to complete a big project at one go. Divide it into smaller doable tasks and attempt one task at a time. This prevents overwhelming of mind & keeps you motivated. This also sharpens focus on sub task at hand and enhances efficiency.

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Lesson 5 : Think Beyond Boundries

Situation : Sidappa scolds Pushpa for laundering money of syndicate

” Lemanchus ki tarah paise baantte rahe to syndicate ka paisa khatm ho jayega

Pushpa : Syndicate ka hissa kam nahin hoga . Kamaai badhegi. Tumhari soch is state ke border tak hi hai. Pushpa ki soch desh ke border ko paar kar chuki hai. Pushpa ko national khiladi samjhe kya …Tch .Tch. Tch.., International hai

Takeaway : Don’t be restricted by limiting thoughts

Think beyond boundries. Challenge your limits, Explore new possibilities. Be Creative, Find novel solutions. Strive to push past established limitations in any field.

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Lesson 6 : Ash is the ultimate leveller

Situation : Shekhawat learns that what he has seized is Sandra ( a look alike wood ) , not red sandal

Shekhawat decides to burn the sandra wood. He goes to godown where sandra is stored. Burns a chunk each of Red sandal & sandra wood alongside.

And asks his deputy (Nathulal ji) – ” dekh ke batao inme chandan koun si hai, sandra kaun si hai. “

Nathulal : ” Kya majaak kar rahein hain sir ! Donon Raakh ke dher hi to hain”

Shekhawat : ” Ke Chandan, Ke sandra, Jalne ke baad sab raakh hi howe hain Na !

Takeaway : Every thing will turn to Ash at the end

Ash is the ultimate leveller. Eventually, all differences are rendered meaningless as everything ( Power, wealth, social status ) will get reduced to ashes and disappear into the five elements. Is it really worth it to fight so hard & so much for things that are temporary ?

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Lesson 7 : Goal Setting : Set specific, Time bound Goals

Situation : Srivalli wants Pushpa’s photo with CM

Pushpa’s wife Srivalli wants Pushpa’s photo with CM. But CM refuses a photo with Pushpa. When asked about photo with CM, Pushpa declares ” CM ghar aakar photo khinchwayeingein. 24th July ko.” Pushpa sets himself a specific Goal : Photo with CM ; Sets a Timeline : 24th July ;

Takeaway : Set clear goals

Setting specific goals is must for a concise action plan to achieve goals. Setting timeline propels consistent action. Goal setting should be :

Specific : Be very specific about what you want to achieve ( Photo with CM in this case)

Measurable : Plan to achieve goal & progress should be measurable

Time bound : Set a specific deadline to achieve your goal. ( 24th July in this case) . It will keep you in action mode till you achieve the goal

Conclusion :

Scripted, written & directed by Sukumar, the movie offers deep insight into working of the human mind through different characters it portrays. In spite of being illogical ( some times bordering on excess), the movie does offer quite a few life lessons. This is however, not to justify the illegal activities of the main protagonist ( Pushpa) or to belittle the efforts of police ( Shekhawat) to nab the smuggler. Its about the mindset and how it can be applied by all of us in our life.