Fahadh Faasil looks menacing in his first look from Pushpa

Malayalam star Fahadh Faasil plays the antagonist in his Telugu debut Pushpa: The Rise. The actor shared a poster featuring his character on Saturday, revealing his role as IPS (Indian Police Service) officer Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat.

In the poster, Fahadh Faasil looks menacing with his bald pate and the stern expression of a determined antagonist. Directed by Sukumar, the Allu Arjun-starrer will be released in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada as well, apart from the original Telugu.

Earlier this month, the makers confirmed that the film would be released in two parts. The film also features Rashmika Mandanna, Prakash Raj, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Sunil, Jagapathi Babu and Dhananjay in supporting roles.

The first part, which is said to revolve around the smuggling of red sanders from the hills of Andhra Pradesh, is slated for release around Christmas this year.

Fahadh Faasil was seen earlier this year in the Malayalam political thriller Maalik which marked his second collaboration with director Mahesh Narayanan. The film was appreciated by audiences as well as critics, with the actor coming in for special praise. He will be seen next in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Tamil film Vikram, where, too, he is reportedly playing a villain. The film stars Kamal Hassan and Vijay Sethupathi.