Actor Allu Arjun and makers of the film Pushpa on Wednesday announced financial assistance of Rs 2 crore for the family of the woman who died in a stampede during the film’s screening at a theatre in Hyderabad on December 4.
IMAGE: Actor Allu Arjun embraces at his residence ahead of appearing before a court in connection with the Sandhya theatre incident, at Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Photograph: ANI Photo
Meanwhile, Telangana State Film Development Corporation (FDC) chairman and leading producer Dil Raju said a delegation of film personalities would call on Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday to foster healthy relations between the government and the film industry.
Allu Arjun’s father and veteran producer Allu Aravind, along with Dil Raju and others, visited a private hospital where a boy injured in the stampede is undergoing treatment.
Allu Aravind expressed relief after speaking to the doctors, who informed them that the boy is recovering and can now breathe on his own.
The doctors remain optimistic about his full recovery.
He announced that Allu Arjun (Rs 1 crore), Pushpa production company Mytri Movie Makers (Rs 50 lakh), and the film’s director Sukumar (Rs 50 lakh) have extended financial assistance to support the boy’s family.
Aravind handed over the cheques to Dil Raju, requesting him to convey it to the boy’s family.
He explained that legal constraints prevented direct interaction with the family without prior clearance.
Amid speculation about strain in ties between the Congress government and the film industry following the arrest of Allu Arjun in the stampede case, Dil Raju said film heroes, producers, including Allu Aravind, and directors would meet the CM at 10 am on Thursday.
The meeting is being organised on behalf of the FDC, Dil Raju said, adding that he would act as a bridge between the government and the film fraternity.
Some ruling Congress leaders have found fault with Allu Arjun’s comments last week, describing the stampede incident as purely accidental and denying the allegations made by CM Revanth Reddy on the ‘roadshow’ before the film screening.
Hours after Reddy slammed the actor for holding a roadshow and waving to the crowds at the theatre, without referring to anyone, the Pushpa 2 star refuted the allegations, saying it was not a procession or a roadshow.
A 35-year-old woman died during the stampede at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad on December 4 where Pushpa 2 movie was screened and her eight-year-old son was hospitalised.
Following the incident, a case was registered against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under different sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Chikkadpally police station based on a complaint by the deceased woman’s family.
Allu Arjun was arrested by the city police in connection with the death of the woman on December 13.
The Telangana High Court granted him a four-week interim bail on the same day and he was released from a prison here on December 14 morning.
