How Allu Arjun’s arrest over the death of a fan turned into a political slugfest

What happened on December 4th?

Tollywood star Allu Arjun visited the theater for the screening of ‘Pushpa 2’ and in the ensuing stampede, a 35-year-old woman died and her baby son was admitted to the hospital in critical condition. What followed the tragedy was the arrest of Allu Arjun, allegations from Telangana CM Revanth Reddy and allegedly contradictory statements from the police.

The aftermath

The Telugu star was arrested for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and willful wounding and is out on bail. But CM Revanth Reddy decided to raise the issue in the meeting and called the actor “inhuman” as he reportedly did not care about the woman’s death and continued to celebrate his film. The Pushpa star, on the other hand, spoke about this “character assassination” and called the entire incident an accident.

On Tuesday, he was summoned by the Hyderabad police for questioning in the case. Meanwhile, Pushpa 2 producers Naveen Yerneni and Ravi Shankar, director Sukumar and Allu Arjun have jointly handed over ₹2 crore to the victim’s family.

Political motives behind the dispute?

There are many who describe this whole controversy as politically motivated. Tamil Nadu BJP leader Annamalai said on Tuesday that Revanth Reddy was “trying to show that he is a bigger superstar than Allu Arjun” and that the Congress-led government was harassing the actor. In fact, the BJP had also alleged that the Congress was targeting the star as he refused to contest for them in the elections.

In South Indian cinema, stars are treated like demigods and many have gone on to become successful politicians themselves, like NT Rama Rao, Jayalalithaa, MG Ramachandran and so on. In fact, Tollywood star Pawan Kalyan is currently the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Given that Allu Arjun is related to Pawan Kalyan, whose Janasena party is an ally of the BJP, there are reports that the Telangana CM is exploiting this situation for his political advantage in the eyes of the public.

Politicians and the film industry have always had a good relationship, and during elections political parties recruit film stars to campaign for them. This is the norm in India and many actors and politicians also enjoy great camaraderie because of it. But this may be the first time a prime minister has openly taken on a star, particularly over an incident that was completely unexpected.

There are always crowds at political meetings and even at events where movie stars are present. And any meeting of this kind requires police permission and security measures. In the case of the Sandhya Theater incident, Reddy’s government and Allu Arjun have two different accounts of the security arrangements made by the police. While the government claims that the police had no prior information about the actor’s presence in the theater, the Pushpa star claims otherwise. Allu Arjun told the media that it was the police who helped him reach the venue and cleared the way.

According to reports, the Telangana government will bear the medical expenses of the child but contrary to what some are saying, Allu has actually made an offer to Arjun ₹25 lakh to the family on December 6 (he finally donated). ₹1 crore). He even said he would take care of all the child’s medical expenses. When asked that day why he did not visit the child in the hospital, he told the media that he was not allowed to do so because it was an ongoing court case.

In the last few days, the Telugu star’s house was vandalized and one of the accused is reportedly a close aide of CM Revanth Reddy. However, the Telangana government denied any connection with this incident. Now, a senior Congressman in Hyderabad has filed a case against the actor over a scene in the film that involves a “disrespectful scene” with a police officer in a swimming pool.

Who should take responsibility?

What was an unfortunate tragedy and should have helped the victim’s family and their nine-year-old son has somehow turned into a political affair between Congress, BJP, BRS and other parties. First, although an actor has a moral responsibility to ensure that nothing untoward happens at a public event, he cannot be considered a criminal because an accident occurs. Secondly, there is no clarity as to whether the police were refused permission.

And there have always been big crowds where stars were expected, and that is well known. For example, Devara’s pre-release event in Hyderabad in September was canceled at the last minute as security forces and organizers were unable to control the massive influx of fans at the venue. The main responsibility in the Allu Arjun case lies with the Sandhya Theater management as they should have assessed the situation on the ground, ensured adequate security and barricades and informed the star accordingly.

When a disaster or tragedy occurs, the film industry and the state government usually always come together to help those in need. In the Sandhya Theater incident, Allu Arjun proved to be a hero in real life too as he went to jail, got bail and advised his fans to remain calm and respectful. He cooperated with the police and officials and at no time made any premature statements against the government or the police.

In contrast, some claim that the Telangana government is just trying to gain political mileage by adopting a Tollywood star and showing people that “everyone is equal”. Meanwhile, this whole standoff has only given further boost to the audience as Pushpa 2’s box office collection shows no signs of slowing down.