Indian actor Allu Arjun (centre) leaving Chikkadpally police station in Hyderabad, following his arrest on Dec 13. Photo: AFP
Indian actor Allu Arjun was arrested on Dec 13 after his surprise appearance at a movie screening allegedly prompted a stampede by fans that crushed a woman to death, police and local media said.
Huge crowds had gathered at a theatre in the southern city of Hyderabad on Dec 4 to catch a glimpse of the Tollywood star as he arrived for the screening of his film Pushpa 2: The Rule.
The 41-year-old was arrested on suspicion of three offences, including voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, a police officer told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media.
He added that seven other people had already been arrested in the case, including the owner of the theatre where the incident took place.
A video on social media platform X, shared by broadcaster TV9, showed Arjun holding a coffee mug as he spoke to officers who arrived at his residence to take him into custody.
Later in the day, he was granted interim bail for four weeks, media reports said.
The victim of the stampede was a 39-year-old woman attending the screening with her nine-year-old son, who was also seriously injured. Her family later filed a complaint against Arjun, his security team and the theatre management, media outlet India Today reported.
Arjun’s counsel has denied any wrongdoing on his part.
Two days after the accident, Arjun said he was “deeply heartbroken”.
“While respecting their need for space to grieve, I stand committed to extend every possible assistance to help them navigate through this challenging journey,” he wrote on X.
Arjun is hugely popular in southern India, and the Pushpa film franchise (2021 to present) has made millions at the box office. He won best actor at India’s National Film Awards in 2023 for his title role in the first instalment of the series.
Pushpa 2: The Rule enjoyed a blockbuster opening on Dec 5, selling six million tickets including advance purchases. The sequel to the 2021 action film, produced by Mythri Movie Makers, features Arjun reprising his role as crime kingpin Pushpa Raj, and chronicles his battles against police officer Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat (Fahadh Faasil).
Sacnilk Entertainment, which tracks box-office data in India, said in a post on social media that Pushpa 2: The Rise was the first film to sell 50 crore rupees worth of tickets in two languages, Telugu and Hindi, in a single day in the country.
It is another hit from the Telugu film industry from southern India, known as Tollywood, after blockbuster action movie RRR (2022) became a global sensation with its Oscar-winning music and epic battle scenes. – AFP, Bloomberg
