After Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy criticised Allu Arjun for his alleged irresponsible actions surrounding the December 4 theatre stampede that led to a woman’s death, the actor was quick to provide his rebuttal. But Allu Arjun’s press meet, in which tried to explain that he had not done anything wrong, and convince people that he was appropriately sorry about Revathi’s death, has not been received very well by the public, drawing the controversy out even further.
The actor had turned up at Hyderabad’s Sandhya theatre at RTC crossroads for a premier show of his film Pushpa 2: The Rule. His visit caused a stampede that led to Revathi’s death, and her son Sritej has since remained critically ill in a comatose state. Allu Arjun was booked for culpable homicide, and arrested briefly on December 13. The issue made news again a week later on December 21, when CM Revanth strongly criticised Allu Arjun in the Assembly.
Some of Allu Arjun’s defensive claims that followed are being questioned on social media. For instance, the actor denied CM Revanth’s allegation that he refused to leave the theatre even after the police told him his presence was causing mayhem.
He said that he left the theatre soon after the film started, but visuals from the theatre show Allu Arjun seated in the theatre during the ‘jathara’ scene – where the actor’s performance has been widely appreciated – which comes much after the film’s midpoint.
The actor said he felt apologetic about the incident while repeatedly asserting that he wasn’t at fault. He said he cancelled several major public events planned to celebrate the film’s success. However, people were quick to point out that the actor had attended a success meet in Hyderabad on December 7, where he expressed condolences to Revathi’s family. Another success meet was held in Delhi on December 12.
And while the actor’s father Allu Aravind claimed that his son has been constantly “morose” since Revathis’ death, social media users questioned this narrative too. They shared visuals of Allu Arjun smiling on the day of his arrest, and while being visited by many Tollywood celebrities after spending a night in prison in the stampede case.
CM Revanth’s accusations, Allu Arjun’s rejoinders
Was there a ‘road show’ before Allu Arjun entered the theatre?
Speaking in the Assembly, CM Revanth said that the Hyderabad police had denied permission for Allu Arjun’s visit to Sandhya theatre on the night of December 4, citing space constraints. Revanth said, “There would have been no objection if the hero had just gone to the theatre and watched the movie and left. But on his way to the theatre, he opened the rooftop of his car on the road and conducted a road show. People from all the theatres nearby suddenly came towards Sandhya theatre, resulting in the stampede. Revathi died and her son went into a coma in the stampede.”
Allu Arjun called this a “false allegation” and said, “There was no road show or procession.” This appears to be a technicality.
While visuals from the night of the stampede are being circulated, in which Allu Arjun is seen waving from the rooftop of his car at a colossal crowd, the actor has claimed that he only did so for a couple of minutes just outside the theatre as “a sign of respect to the crowd”. He also said he did it so the crowd would disperse after seeing him.
“When I was just a few yards away from the theatre, the car couldn’t move because of the crowd. It’s a norm in such situations for the police personnel or bouncers to ask the celebrity to wave from the car once, so that the crowd is satisfied and people leave. It’s also a sign of respect. Thousands of people gathered to catch a glimpse of the hero, how arrogant would it be if I didn’t even do that?” the actor said.
How long did Allu Arjun stay inside the theatre?
Allu Arjun said that after waving to the crowd, he immediately went into the theatre.
CM Revanth said, “There was a stampede inside the theatre also when the hero entered. The local Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) told the hero that there was a risk of law and order being compromised. But the hero did not listen. The Hyderabad Police Commissioner said that the hero did not agree to leave the theatre. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) then warned the hero of arrest if he did not move out of the theatre. Even while leaving, the actor opened the car rooftop and went on a road show.”
But Allu Arjun denied this and said, “No police officers came to me or said anything to me in the theatre. My management came and told me that there was too much crowd and requested me to leave, and I left. I left a short time after the film started,” he said. He also said that he is yet to see the film in the theatre. “That’s my biggest education to learn how to make films in the future, it’s very important to me to see my films in the theatre,” he said.
However, visuals of the actor watching the celebrated ‘jatara’ scene sparked criticism, with many social media users accusing the star of lying.
Remorse over Revathi’s death
CM Revanth also chastised Allu Arjun for not visiting Revathi’s family. “When a mother died in a theater, the hero did not visit the grieving family while the child was undergoing treatment in a hospital. Opposition leaders are criticising the government for arresting such inhuman people. Film celebrities made a beeline to console the hero who went to jail but no one visited the victim's family,” he said in the Assembly.
Allu Arjun said he wasn’t visiting Revathi’s hospitalised son Sritej based on his legal team’s advice. However, he said he went into shock after learning about the stampede and has been feeling “off” since then. “The movie has been a big success, but I have kept that aside for the past 15 days… I’m unable to go anywhere… I’m sitting alone at home, I’m telling myself it’s not my fault, at least not through my direct involvement… I’m extremely apologetic for what has happened,” the actor said.
However, his demeanour at the time of the arrest – smiling, drinking coffee and assuring his family members while the police waited to take him into custody; smiling and waving at fans while being taken to the hospital and to prison – was criticised then and again now, after the latest press meet.
The stampede and Allu Arjun’s arrest have been a huge topic of public discussion over the past two weeks, not just in the Telugu states but across India. Many political leaders, including from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), expressed support for the actor, calling the arrest an instance of ‘high-handed’ behaviour by the police under the Revanth Reddy government.
BRS leader KT Rama Rao has alleged that the arrest was an act of vengeance by CM Revanth, after Allu Arjun seemingly forgot the Chief Minister’s name while thanking the state government for allowing a hike in ticket rates for his film while celebrating its success.
There was wide speculation about the possible political motives behind Allu Arjun’s arrest, and many wondered whether it was a proportionate reaction to his involvement, and the extent of his accountability over the stampede was widely debated. In the days following his arrest, many Tollywood actors including Rana Daggubati, Vijay Deverakonda, Akhil Akkineni and others visited the actor and showed their support. Actors like Rashmika Mandanna, Varun Dhawan, Vivek Oberoi, and Nani also expressed support on social media, as did BJP leaders Bandi Sanjay, Kishan Reddy and K Laxman.
