Boney Kapoor says Allu Arjun was 'unnecessarily dragged' into Pushpa 2 stampede case: 'It was only because of the crowd'

Boney Kapoor has said that it was wrong to drag Allu Arjun in the Sandhya Theatre stampede case, adding that the death of the fan happened due to the crowd.

Filmmaker Boney Kapoor has lent his weight behind Telugu star Allu Arjun in connection with his recent legal troubles linked to the death of a fan at the premiere of his film, Pushpa 2: The Rule. Boney says that Arjun was 'unnecessarily dragged' in the case when the death was only due to the large crowd gathered there. (

Boney Kapoor has supported Allu Arjun in the Sandhya Theatre stampede case.

Boney Kapoor defends Allu Arjun

Speaking at the Galatta Plus roundtable for filmmakers, Boney detailed his introduction to South Indian fans' mania for the big stars. "When I first saw, Ajith's film releasing at 1 in the morning. I was shocked to see 20-25k people outside the theatre. After I came out of the show around 3.30-4am, there were still that many people outside. I am told the same thing happens with films of Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, or present-day stars like Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Mahesh Babu," he said.

Linking it to the incident for which Allu Arjun was arrested, Boney then added, "Ticket rates are inflated on the first two days or at least the first day for extra shows. That is why this situation has arisen where unnecessarily Allu Arjun was dragged and blamed for the death of a fan. It was only because of the crowd that had gathered to see the film."

What is the Pushpa 2 stampede case

On December 4, the eve of Pushpa 2's release, a special show of the film was kept for the fans at Hyderabad's Sandhya Theatre. Arjun reached the theatre himself with co-star Rashmika Mandanna and wife Sneha Reddy. Police say that due to the star's presence, crowd gathered at the theatre, leading to a stampede-like situation, which caused the death of a 35-year-old woman. The state government has claimed that Arjun appeared at the theatre despite not being permitted to and refused to leave after being told of the situation. Arjun has denied the allegations.

The actor was arrested last month on the charges of culpable homicide among other things. But he was released the following day after the Telangana High Court granted him interim bail. The case is currently under investigation.

About Pushpa 2: The Rule

Directed by Sukumar, Pushpa 2: The Rule stars Allu Arjun, Rashmika, and Fahadh Faasil. The sequel to the 2021 hit, Pushpa: The Rise, part 2 has been an even bigger box office success. As of January 1, the film has earned ₹1760 crore worldwide, making it the third-highest-grossing Indian film ever.