PUSHPA: UNRAVELLING THE PICARESQUE JOURNEY THROUGH CINEMATIC NARRATIVES

Abstract

Cinema is an electronic genre of literature which serves both tenacities: didactic and entertainment. It addresses social issues of contemporary society. The selected film, Pushpa: The Rise is picaresque in its type. The picaresque writing existed in English literature in the first decade of the 18th century. The word ‘picaresque’ is of Spanish origin and means ‘rogues’ or ‘roadside’ character. Thrall and Hibbard view seven qualities of a picaresque narrative. The protagonist is from a lower class called the Picaroon. The hero transforms himself from an innocent to a responsible person.  Picaro's episodic story is told with realism. Sometimes satire becomes a prominent element. The behaviour of a picaroon is short of criminality. It is autobiographical and first person in narration. These picaresque elements are observable in the film Pushpa: The Rise. Its hero Pushpa Raj is a picaroon. The hero is on a journey. Being a member of a lower class, he is humiliated by many. At first, the hero is on the periphery and later he possesses the centre. It satirises brutal practices with realism. The film is built around an episodic structure. It is an attempt to unravel the picaresque elements reflected in the film Pushpa.