No more benefit shows allowed in Telangana after stampede at Pushpa 2 The Rule premiere, says cinematography minister

A fan died in a stampede during the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule at a theatre in Hyderabad. Allu Arjun had visited the theatre for the premiere.

Telangana cinematography minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy has taken a serious decision in the wake of the stampede that occurred during the Pushpa 2: The Rule premiere, resulting in one person’s death and hospitalisation of a young boy. A South First report states that while responding to the incident, the minister announced that the government would no longer permit benefit shows for any films. (Also Read: Police investigate mysterious spray during screening of Pushpa 2 The Rule at Mumbai's Galaxy Theatre)

Allu Arjun attended the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule in Hyderabad.

No more benefit shows in Telangana

Komatireddy spoke to the press on Friday and expressed his condolences to the victim’s family. He also criticised the film’s team for not taking proper precautions or taking proper permissions. He reportedly 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.”

He also criticised Allu Arjun for visiting an already crowded theatre, stating there was ‘no need’ for him to visit there. Komatireddy added that henceforth, the government will not permit benefit shows in Telangana, “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.” He also reportedly said guidelines will be provided soon.

What happened

For the unversed, it is common in southern states, including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to hold special premieres called benefit shows for hiked ticket prices before the film’s release. This is done to boost the film’s collection, and Pushpa 2: The Rule, starring Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil, had paid premieres on December 4 evening before the film’s release on December 5.

Arjun, Rashmika, rest of the film’s team and his family visited Sandhya Theatre at RTC X Roads in Hyderabad for one of these screenings. A family that had come to watch the film was separated in the chaos that ensued after their visit, with a woman dying sue to asphyxiation and her son hospitalised in a critical condition.

A case has been registered against Arjun and his security team for visiting without prior intimation to the police and against the theatre management for not taking sufficient precautions. The actor's team has reached out to the family to provide financial assistance.