Allu Arjun has responded to the tragedy that took place in Hyderabad, during the early screening of his new film Pushpa 2: The Rule, which claimed the life of a woman.
The incident occurred 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 Revathi (39) and injured her nine-year-old son, Sritej.
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Now, after two days of silence, the actor has responded to the tragedy, and said that he and the entire Pushpa team are shocked by the death. In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Arjun said, “When we went to the premieres of Pushpa recently at RTC Crossroads, there was an unexpected massive turnout. We found out the next morning that a family was injured in the crowd, and a mother of two children, Revathi, unfortunately, died. In the last 20 years, I have been to the theatres for almost every film; something like this has never happened. We were very disappointed and shocked, none of us feel like celebrating. We make films so people can enjoy the film in theatres, so to learn that something like this happened…I can’t put it in words.”
The 42-year-old also offered to extend monetary and emotional support to the family and support them whenever possible. “No matter what we do, this loss can never be covered. From the team's side, we want to tell you that we are emotionally there for you. Personally, I'd like to donate Rs 25 lakh, as a gesture of goodwill. We'd like to take care of all the medical expenses and keep you comfortable at this difficult hour. Whatever support you need, we'll try to be there as much as we can.”
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The Vedam actor concluded the video with a request to his fans. “From the entire team, we'd like to share our condolences to the family. Our entire intention is to provide you with good entertainment for you, so my kind request is, when you go to theatres, please be a little careful. Enjoy the cinema and come back home safe.”
Arjun, his security team, and the theatre’s management were booked by the Chikkadpally police station, 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.
On Friday, Telangana cinematography minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy announced a ban on benefit shows as a reaction to the stampede.