On Friday, Telangana cinematography minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy announced a ban on benefit shows following the stampede that occured during a special screening of Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa 2: The Rule.
The incident took place on the night of December 4, outside the Sandhya Theatre at RTC X Roads in Hyderabad. Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, and the rest of the film crew arrived to an already crowded theatre for the first showing of the film. Their arrival triggered a fan frenzy, which led to a stampede that claimed the life of a woman, and injured her nine-year-old son.
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The deceased woman was identified as Revathi, 39, from Dilsukhnagar who came to watch the movie with her husband and two children. She was administered CPR and rushed to hospital immediately but died of injuries. Her son, Sri Tej, was also taken to the hospital after sustaining injuries.
Arjun, his security team, and the theatre’s management was slapped with charges under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
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Komatireddy, speaking to the press, said,“It is very sad to see the family suffer like that, as a cinematography minister, I am appealing to the film’s producers and hero to support the family. The husband recently recovered from a liver transplant, and now his wife is no more, and his son is in the hospital.”
The minister then delared the ban on benefit shows.“From now on, no benefit shows will be allowed in the state. If a hero wants to visit a theatre, they can go with their security and get permission from the government first.”
Benefit shows are screenings that are usually priced higher than the standard ticket amount, normally allowed for big-budget films to increase their collection.