A 52-year-old woman died and her nine-year-old son is in critical condition after a stampede at a Hyderabad theatre during the premiere show of Allu Arjun's 'Pushpa 2' on the night of Wednesday, December 4. The incident occurred at around 9.30 pm in Sandhya Theatre at RTC X Roads when overenthusiastic fans surged to see the actor, who had arrived at the theatre. According to reports, the woman has been identified as Revati from Dilsukhnagar and she came to the film premiere with her husband and two children.
Chikkapadpally Assistant Commissioner of Police L Ramesh Kumar reportedly said that the cinema theatre was filled with people beyond its capacity leading to suffocation.
The Hindu reported that Allu Arjun and music director Devi Sri Prasad came to the theatre without prior announcement. “There was no information about their arrival until two hours before and hence no bandobast was organised. People in large numbers gathered to catch a glimpse of the actor while he was leaving the theatre, leading to the stampede,” a police personnel from the Chikkadpally station had said.
Police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the unruly crowd, which had gathered in large numbers to catch a glimpse of the star. The situation escalated further when the theatre's main gate collapsed amidst the chaos. Allu Arjun was still inside the theatre at the time, prompting police to increase security measures with additional force.
Sukumar's Pushpa 2: The Rule released in various languages on Thursday, December 5. Premiere shows were scheduled at 9.30 pm on Wednesday in select theatres across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Bengaluru. The highly anticipated sequel to the 2021 blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise is released on over 10,000 screens in 2D and 4DX formats. The planned 3D release was postponed at the last minute due to post-production delays.
Ticket prices for the highly anticipated movie have been hiked across Telugu states. A public interest litigation was filed in Telangana High Court challenging the state government's decision to raise ticket prices. However, the court has declined to stay the film's release.
(With IANS inputs)