KBC 14: The red sandalwood or red sanders trees, shown in the film “Pushpa: The Rise”, are endemic to which region of India?

a. Western Ghats

b. Sunderbans

c. Eastern Ghats

d. Doaba

Answer: c. Eastern Ghats

About  Film Pushpa The
Rise

 Directed by Sukumar
and featuring Allu Arjun as the protagonist, is a Telugu language film that
narrates the story of a laborer who rises in power and becomes a part of the
red sander syndicate. Pushpa is the name of the protagonist, who fears nothing
and strives for ultimate power and control. Throughout the film, he reminds his
enemies that he is not Pushpa the flower but rather the fire. With several
iconic dialogues and the usual slow-motion action sequences, it is the ultimate
“masala” film that you can imagine. However, with a runtime of 178 minutes, it
seems a little stretched in some places.

What are sandalwood?

Also know as: Almug, Saunderwood, Red Sanders, Red
Sanderswood, Red Saunders, Rakta chandana (Indian), Lal Chandan, Ragat Chandan,
Rukhto Chandan, Undum

Santalinus, commonly known as Red Sandalwood, is a native
and endemic to India and can only be found in the southern parts of the Eastern
Ghats. It is a small tree that grows to 5-8 meters in height and has a dark
grayish bark. The timber is highly demanded domestically and internationally,
and especially in East Asian countries. Red Sandalwood timber is used for carvings,
furniture, poles, and house posts. The rare “wavy” grain variant is highly
valued in Japan for its acoustic properties and is used to make musical
instruments. In addition, the timber is also exploited for the extraction of
santalin (a red pigment used as dye and colorant in food), medicine and
cosmetics. Its IUCN Red List status is “endangered.”

How Did Pushpa Rise To Power?

Even though, in his initial years, Pushpa worked as a
laborer at a mill, he did not believe in owing respect to the mill owner for
providing him with his deserved wage. He worked for money and not out of
respect. Therefore, from the very first instance, the film establishes his
fearlessness. The people around him knew he would make it big in life, and thus
joined Kesava, hoping to make a few extra bucks by being Pushpa’s trusted man.

Pushpa’s mother was a widower, and from childhood, he was
denied the surname of his father as he was born out of wedlock. Pushpa was
known as Pushpa Raj from childhood, a man without a surname, thus making him
casteless. He was deeply attached to his mother and wanted to keep her happy
after all the struggles she had to face. One day, he joined the coolies who
were in charge of providing the red sanders that were illegally transported
from the Seshachalam Hills in Andhra Pradesh.

While the shrewd DSP, Govindappa, tried to bust the illegal
activity, Pushpa used his intelligence to save the day. It was only after
saving a huge amount of red sander, did Pushpa win the trust of the Reddy
brothers. He further proposed a brilliant plan to transport the red sander that
would not be confiscated by the police. The red sander was placed at the bottom
of the truck and sealed; the top portion of the truck was filled with milk,
which would lead the police to believe that only milk was being transported.
With the success of his plan, Pushpa gradually became a shareholder of the
Reddy brothers’ business. His newfound success brought him wealth and
popularity.

Star Caste

The movie casts Allu Arjun(Pushpa Raj) and Rashmika
Mandanna(Srivalli) are in the lead roles along with Fahadh Faasil(Bhanwar Singh
Shekhawat IPS), Dhananjay( jolly Reddy), Prakash Raj, Sunil (Mangalam Srinu),
Anasuya Bharadwaj( Drakshayini), Ajay( Molleti Mohan), Rao Ramesh (Bhumireddy
Siddappa Naidu), Ajaygosh(Konda Reddy), Shatru(DSP Govindappa), Mime Gopi (Chennai
Murugan), Kalpalatha(Parvatamma), Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari(Keshava), Shanmukh(Jakka
Reddy), Raj Tirandasu(Mogilees)      

The music was composed by Devi Sri Prasad while
cinematography was done by Miroslaw Kuba Brozek and it is edited by Karthika
Srinivas. The film is produced by Mythri Movie Makers banner.