A 35-year-old woman was killed and her nine-year-old son seriously injured in a stampede that occurred at the premiere of ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ at a Hyderabad theatre on Wednesday evening. The stampede happened at the Sandhya Theatre, which witnessed a huge crowd gathering to catch a glimpse of the lead actor of the film, Allu Arjun.
Chaos erupted when fans surged to see Arjun, who had arrived with music director Devi Sri Prasad for the screening. The crowd pressure caused the main gate of the theatre to collapse. Despite police efforts to control the mob through a lathi charge, the stampede resulted in the death of the woman. Her son was rushed to a private hospital and is undergoing treatment.
Thousands had flocked not only to watch the film but also to catch a glimpse of members of the production team. Police reinforcements were called in to prevent further escalation.
Sukumar’s Pushpa 2: The Rule, the long-awaited sequel to the 2021 blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise, will be released on 10,000 screens across different languages simultaneously. Originally planned as a 3D film, it had to be shelved due to post-production issues. It will be available both in 2D as well as 4DX versions. The film features Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna, with Fahadh Faasil’s reprise. In anticipation of the film, its ticket prices were hiked in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and this sent petitions to court. The Telangana High Court overruled the objections and allowed the release to continue.
