Allu Arjun Fan’s Death In Pushpa 2 Stampede Raises Concern: ‘Superstars Should Avoid FDFS’ | Exclusive – News18

Last Updated:December 07, 2024, 04:55 IST

Trade guru Ramesh Bala recalls more fan deaths & explains why Allu Arjun’s compensation is ‘good gesture’ towards deceased’s family.

A benefit show for Pushpa 2: The Rule in Hyderabad on December 4 took a tragic turn when a stampede broke out amidst overwhelming crowds of Allu Arjun’s fans. The situation spiralled out of control as the South superstar made his grand entry, leading to chaos. In the commotion, a woman and her son were severely injured, with both losing consciousness. While the police rushed them to a nearby hospital, the woman was declared dead upon arrival, and her son remains in critical condition.

Following the incident, a criminal case was filed against Allu Arjun, his private security, and the management of Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre, citing criminal negligence under Sections 105 and 118(1) BNS.

Benefit shows and crowd

Reacting to the incident, south trade analyst Ramesh Bala exclusively speaks to News18 and says that stampedes during benefit shows are inevitable. “Small actors going to theatres to promote their films is fine but superstars like Rajinikanth, Vijay, Ajith, Mahesh Babu, Yash and Allu Arjun shouldn’t be going to a theatre for the first day first show. When big actors do this, it’s always a problem. By nature, benefit shows are always crowded,” he tells us.

He adds, “Before the show begins, a stampede-like situation almost always occurs right at the entrance. The parking lots become a bed for all kinds of celebrations. When the first show starts, the entire crowd tries to get in at the same. Sometimes, those who don’t even have tickets, try to see if they can get in. I’ve seen glass doors being broken in Chennai.”

Cancellation of early morning shows in Tamil Nadu

Bala recalls the death of an Ajith fan in January 2023 and says that the decision to do away with 4 am shows in Chennai was to prevent such mishaps. “When a big star like Allu Arjun goes to a benefit show, it adds to the frenzy. That’s the reason early morning shows are banned in Tamil Nadu. During the release of Thunivu, a fan of Ajith climbed atop a lorry or a bus and fell and died while he was dancing. From them on, early morning shows have been stopped and the first show can only start from 9 am on the release day. Tamil Nadu pioneered 4 am shows but that has also stopped now,” he remarks.

No more benefit shows for films in Telangana: State cinematography minister Komatiredyy Venkata Reddy

Sharing his stance on how he thinks Telugu stars will maneuver this new rule, Bala tells us, “The Telangana government has now also said that early morning shows cannot happen without proper permissions. This will definitely stop the top stars from visiting multiplexes and theatres running benefit shows. They can attend a screening in the latter part of the day, unannounced, when fans don’t know that their favourite star is going to be there.”

The road ahead for AP and Karnataka

With Tamil Nadu and Telangana cancelling these shows, Bala believes that it will soon reflect in the other south states too where hero worship is widely prevalent. “We’ve to wait and see what the Andhra Pradesh government announces. Pawan Kalyan is the deputy CM of Andhra Pradesh. He’s also from the film industry and so, I’m not sure what plan they’ll come up with. But both Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are good candidates to regulate this if not ban it because crowd control is definitely a problem,” he opines.

Sharing some past instances, he recounts, “I’ve seen it in Bengaluru also where they burst crackers. Sometimes, people climb atop the big cut-outs of their idols to pour milk over it and fall down and die. Pawan Kalyan’s fans have died because of electrocution from wires. Such risks are always there and it needs to be regulated.”

However, Bala feels that it will be ‘tough’ for the governments to bring about stringent measures. “I don’t know how they’ll bring in extra protection. Theatres need to ban celebrations within their premises. For a 9 am show, audiences should be allowed in the parking lot only at 8:45 am. The other problem is that theatres also encourage these celebrations. The government always acts after a death. Until some unfortunate incidents happen, they don’t react,” he rues.

Team Pushpa 2’s support towards deceased’s family

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the production house of Pushpa 2: The Rule, Mythri Movie Makers, issued a statement expressing their grief over the tragedy and stated that they would be ‘extending all possible support’ to the family ‘during this difficult time’. On Friday (December 6), Arjun also took to X and said that he’s ‘deeply heartbroken’ and assured that he will ‘meet the family personally’. He added that he would be donating them Rs 25 lakh and take care of all the medical expenses.

Talking about it, Bala shares, “Often stars give a few lakh rupees to the family of the deceased. Financial compensation is always counted as a good gesture. When the frenzy dies, Allu Arjun may visit the family, maybe a month later. It has happened in the past when actors have quietly visited the families in the wee hours of morning or late at night, clicked pictures with them, paid their respects and announced to take care of the kids’ education. Some stars have monetarily helped their families quietly and others have done it more openly.”

Shift in fan-hero dynamic

In light of how stars are deified in south, Bala mentions that such incidents have never left a bad taste in the fandom’s mouth. “I’ve not seen an actor’s stardom being dented because of such mishaps. It has also happened in the past where after a fan meet, a fan club president has died in a car accident on their way home. The rival fans may say something to the rival stars but I’ve never seen a fan bad-mouthing their idol because of such mishaps. Since these stars aren’t directly responsible for these deaths, they aren’t held accountable,” he informs us.

What’s a benefit show?

“The first show on the release date is allotted to fan clubs. They can choose to sell those tickets at a higher price for their benefit, activities or charitable causes. It has been going on for many years now. That way, theatres get a lump sum amount from the association or the fan club president. This is applicable to only early morning or premiere shows. In Pushpa 2’s case, the premiere show happened at 9:30 pm, a day before its release. But in case of most films, it happens post 12 am,” explains Bala.