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Allu Arjun donates ₹25 lakh to family of fan who died at Pushpa 2 The Rule premiere: ‘We don't feel like celebrating’
Allu Arjun released a video on his social media, responding to the death of a fan at the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule. Here's what he said.
Allu Arjun posted a video on X (formerly Twitter), responding to the death of a fan during the premiere of his latest film Pushpa 2: The Rule. When the actor visited Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad on December 4 with his family to watch the film with fans, it resulted in a stampede, leaving one female fan dead and her son hospitalised. (Also Read: No more benefit shows allowed in Telangana after stampede at Pushpa 2 The Rule premiere, says cinematography minister)
Allu Arjun responds to fan’s death
Arjun posted a 3-minute-47-seconds long video talking about the fan’s death, captioning it, “Deeply heartbroken by the tragic incident at Sandhya Theatre. My heartfelt condolences go out to the grieving family during this unimaginably difficult time. I want to assure them they are not alone in this pain and will meet the family personally. While respecting their need for space to grieve, I stand committed to extend every possible assistance to help them navigate through this challenging journey.”
In the video, he says in Telugu that the massive turnout was ‘unexpected’ when he visited the theatre and clarifies that he only discovered the fan’s death the next morning. He said, “When we went to the premieres of Pushpa recently at RTC Crossroads, unexpectedly, there was a 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.”
He stated that he, director Sukumar and the whole team of Pushpa were ‘shocked’ when they found out the news. “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.”
Arjun also revealed that he has donated ₹25 lakh to the family of the dead woman, promising to not just cover their medical expenses but to take care of whatever the children might need in the future as much as he can. He said, “Nothing we say or do can help with the loss. But from our side, we’re emotionally there for you no matter what you need. From my side, I want to donate ₹25 lakh as a gesture to show I am there for you, especially for the children. We will also cover any medical expenses; we understand it’s difficult for the family.”
He ended the video by requesting fans to be careful, “We make movies so you can enjoy them with your families. When something like this happens, even we feel bad. I request fans be careful and return home safely when you go to theatres.”
What happened
A woman died, and her son was hospitalised due to asphyxiation as crowds jostled at a film theatre here during the premiere show of actor Allu Arjun's Pushpa 2: The Rule, police told PTI on Thursday.
A case was registered against Arjun, his security team and the theatre management in connection with the death of the woman. The police have registered the case under sections 105 and 118(1) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Chikkadpally police station based on the complaint by the deceased's family. The boy who suffocated during the stampede is still in critical condition.
The film’s producers, Mythri Movie Makers and Rashmika Mandanna, expressed anguish after learning the news. At the same time, Arjun’s team clarified that producer Bunny Vas had already contacted the family and offered financial support on his behalf. Benefit shows will be banned in Telangana henceforth, said the cinematography minister, Komatireddy Venkata Reddy.
