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Allu Arjun apologises to family of fan who died at Pushpa 2 premiere: ‘I am extremely sorry, I didn't know…’
Allu Arjun and director Sukumar spoke to the press on Saturday to celebrate the success of Pushpa 2: The Rule. Here's what they said.
Allu Arjun and director Sukumar spoke to the press on Saturday evening to celebrate the success of Pushpa 2: The Rule. The duo also took a moment to acknowledge the tragedy that took place at the film's premiere on December 4 in Hyderabad, apologising to the family of the fan who died in a stampede. (Also Read: Pushpa 2 The Rule box office collection day 3 (updated live): Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna crosses ₹350 crore mark)
Allu Arjun, Sukumar apologise to dead fan’s family
Sukumar took to the stage first and thanked his whole team name by name for making Pushpa 2: The Rule what it is today. At the end of the speech, he said, “I have worked for over 6 years on this film, but I’ve not been happy for 3 days now because a director is always sensitive. Irrespective of me working for 3 years or 6 years, I cannot create a life. My heart is broken due to what happened. I am very sorry for that…I apologise to the family and assure you, we will always support you.”
Arjun also thanked the audience worldwide for making the film a success and the governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for allowing them to hike tickets and have premieres. Then he said, “We are extremely sorry. We genuinely didn’t know what happened. I’ve been doing this for 20 years (going to theatres on opening day); it’s very unfortunate that this happened.”
The actor then stated that he did not leave the theatre midway through the film because he discovered the fan’s death but because the management told him it was disrupting the peace. “I watched the film and left midway because management told me it was causing issues. We only found out the next day that Revathi had died; I was shocked,” he said.
Arjun also clarified why it took him 48 hours to respond to the incident, “It took me time to respond psychologically…I want to stabilise and come back to the table; it takes me time to process. When we heard what happened, we all blanked out. Sukumar garu became really emotional; all our energies went down.”
He then reiterated, like he did in the video he released on Friday night that he likes making films so people enjoy it in theatres, so it was heartbreaking to learn something like this happened. “The money I’ve given ( ₹25 lakh) is only a gesture to show we’re there for them. I don’t want to disturb them; I’m giving them their space. I will never be able to help with their loss, but I will meet them once they recover. I’ll help them in whatever way I can,” he stated.
Criticised for not apologising
When news broke and the video of Arjun leaving Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad midway came out, some assumed that he had learnt of the fan’s death and was leaving to avoid the issue. Later, he was criticised for not responding to the issue on social media even if his team had reached out to the family to help monetarily. When he dropped a video offering condolences, people called him out for not apologising to the family and taking accountability for his role in the mishap.
When Arjun visited the theatre on December 4 with his wife, Allu Sneha Reddy, and co-star Rashmika Mandanna, his visit resulted in a stampede. A woman and her young son were injured and fell unconscious. While the woman died, her son was hospitalised in critical condition. Police have booked a case on Arjun, his security team and the theatre management based on a complaint filed by the victim’s family.
