‘Humiliated and Heartbroken’: Emotional Allu Arjun reacts to allegations on stampede case

Allu Arjun, who is riding high on the success of his recently relased film Pushpa 2, was embodied in a controversy when the actor on the premier night of his film headed to Sandhya theatre to pay a surprise visit to his fans. The fans went berserk and couldn’t control their emotions, so they thronged to get a glimpse of the South superstar. Amid the chaos and unmanageable crowd, police restored to lathi charge. Arjun’s visit caused a stampede-like situation and resulted in the death of one woman while her young son was hospitalised in critical condition.

Following this, Allu Arjun was sent to jail on December 13. Telangana High Court granted him interim bail on December 14 on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 in connection with the death of a woman during the premiere of his film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ at Sandhya Theatre on December 4.

After getting out of jail, Allu Arjun greeted the fans and media. Speaking about the eight-year-old boy who is brain dead and battling for life, Arjun said that he is monitoring the child and ensuring that his medical expenses have been taken care of.

Amid the stampede row and Allu Arjun’s arrest. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi have made serious allegations against Allu Arjun in the Telangana assembly.

Allu Arjun attended ‘Pushpa-2’ screening despite police denying permission: CM Revanth Reddy

In the Telangana assembly, Revanth and Akbaruddin accused Arjun of continuing to watch the movie despite being informed about the death of a fan and the hospitalisation of a young boy.

Akbaruddin alleged, “According to the information I have received, the star who went to the theatre to watch the film was informed about the issue when it happened. Even the police told him that there was a stampede two children had fallen, and one woman was dead. The film star turned to them, smiled, and said, now the film will be a hit.”

Before entering the theatre and exiting, the actor stood through the sunroof of his car and waved to the crowds, leading to thousands of fans jostling to get a glimpse of him, he said.

“I appeal to the top film personalities that they should not be inhuman,” he added.

Revanth criticised the actor for visiting the theatre without police permission. He also criticised the film industry for its perceived lack of humanity, stating that prominent figures supported Arjun despite his brief time in jail. The CM announced that no permissions for benefit shows or ticket hikes would be granted while he remains in power.

On Saturday, Allu Arjun held a press conference at his residence in Jubilee with his legal counsel by his side and addressed the accusations that were levied against him.

Allu Arjun PC started with an apology as the press conference, which was supposed to start at 7 PM, was delayed. For this, the actor apologised and said it took him time to “centre himself.” Calling the tragic stampede incident an “unfortunate accident for which no one was at fault, including police,” he paid his condolences to the grieving family.

He stated, “Theatres are my temple, and it hurts me that something like this happened.” Responding to the allegations, he said, “There is a lot of misinformation, false allegations, and miscommunication about things I’ve allegedly said. I feel humiliated, and this is character assassination. People have known me for 20 years now; would I speak like this? I am unable to even go to work.”

He shared that despite wanting to, he has not watched his own film in theatres yet, a project representing three years of hard work. “I am sorry something this unfortunate happened in my presence. When people claim I said it’s okay someone died or is hospitalised, that’s character assassination. It hurts me to see false allegations levelled against me,” he said. Arjun further added, “I was not being irresponsible when I went to the theatre; nothing of this sort has happened in 20 years.”

Arjun emphasised that it had been wrongly said that he went to the theatre without police permission. “The theatre management had already sorted it out with the police. There was no road show or procession; I only came out of my car to wave at fans in the hope they would let my car pass. Any celebrity or politician does that out of respect for the people there. I am not as arrogant to not do that,” he said.

The actor also made it clear that no police had met him in the theatre, nor had they asked him to leave when he visited the theatre. “I only left because my management warned me about overcrowding. I only found out what happened the next day.

He also said that “my wife and children were with me. If I knew what happened, wouldn’t I take my children with me when I left? I left only with my wife. I love my kids; I would never do that to another child.”

Arjun stated that he has constantly been in touch with the victim’s family to know about the boy’s progress hourly. “I cannot go because I am legally tied. This is a low point in my life. I have a kid of the same age (as the victim in a coma), am I not a father? Don’t I understand how the father feels?” he questioned.

Allu Arjun got emotional, and his father Allu Aravind spoke to the media and added that Arjun has made it clear he doesn’t ‘blame anyone’, including the government or the police for whatever has happened. He also stated that the film’s team plans to open a fixed deposit account for the young boy.

Despite a press conference and clearing his stance, Allu Arjun is getting brutally trolled on social media.