Chaos at Pushpa 2 Premiere: Woman Dies, Child Critical in Hyderabad Stampede
Hyderabad (The Uttam Hindu): The premiere of Pushpa 2 in Hyderabad turned tragic on Wednesday night when a massive crowd gathered at Sandhya Theatre, RTC Crossroads, leading to chaos and the eventual collapse of a woman and her child. According to a report by Matrubhumi, 39-year-old Revati tragically lost her life, while her child was left in critical condition after a stampede-like situation erupted as fans rushed to catch a glimpse of star Allu Arjun. The actor made a surprise appearance at the event, which was surrounded by heavy security and police presence.
A large number of fans gathered at the theatre to catch a glimpse of the actor, who watched the show along with some other members of the film unit. The theatre's main gate also collapsed amid the chaos outside the theatre. As Allu Arjun was still inside the theatre, the police beefed up security with the deployment of additional force to prevent any untoward incident. Director Sukumar's 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' is all set to release in multiple languages on Thursday. The premiere shows were scheduled at 9.30 p.m. on Wednesday in selected theatres in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Bengaluru.
The much-awaited movie is slated to release on more than 10,000 screens in 2D and 4DX formats. The release of the 3D version was cancelled at the last minute due to a delay in post-production. 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' is a sequel to the 2021 film 'Pushpa: The Rise', which was a massive hit across India. 'Pushpa 2' features Rashmika Mandanna as the female lead. Like in 'Pushpa: The Rise', Fahadh Faasil will be seen in a key role. Anasuya Bharadwaj, Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari, Daali Dhananjaya, and others are part of the supporting cast. Cashing in on the high anticipation among fans, the ticket prices of the movie have been hiked in both the Telugu states.
A public interest litigation was filed in Telangana High Court challenging the state government's action in allowing a hike in ticket prices. The court, however, refused to stay the film's release.