Woman killed, son injured in stampede during 'Pushpa 2' premiere in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Dec 5: A woman died and her son was injured in the stampede at a theatre in Hyderabad during the premiere show of 'Pushpa 2: The Rule'. The incident occurred at Sandhya Theatre at RTC X Roads when police resorted to lathi-charge to control the fans of Allu Arjun who had surged forward to see the actor at the movie's premiere show on Wednesday.

A woman and her nine-year-old son fainted and were shifted to a hospital. Police personnel had performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the boy before he was taken to the hospital. The woman succumbed at KIMS Hospital in the early hours of Thursday. The deceased was identified as Revati (39), a resident of Dilsukhnagar area in the city. Her son Sriteja (9) was undergoing treatment.

Revati had gone to the theatre with her husband Bhaskar, son Sriteja and daughter Sanvi. Her husband and daughter escaped unhurt. Many fans gathered at the theatre to see the actor, who watched the show along with some members of the film unit. The theatre's main gate also collapsed amid the chaos outside. As Allu Arjun was inside the theatre, the police stepped up security to prevent any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, Chikkadpalli Police registered a case and took up the investigation. Director Sukumar's 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' was all set to release in multiple languages on Thursday. The premiere shows were held at 9.30 p.m. Wednesday in selected theatres in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Bengaluru.

The much awaited movie is slated to release on over 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. 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 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.