Telangana CM Revanth Reddy Meets Telugu Actors Over Stampede Incident, Urges Them To Be 'Responsible'

Prominent figures from the Telugu film industry, including renowned producer Allu Aravind, father of actor Allu Arjun, convened a crucial meeting with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Thursday.

The meeting followed the arrest of Allu Arjun in connection with a stampede at a Hyderabad theatre during the screening of his film 'Pushpa 2: The Rule'. The tragic incident earlier this month resulted in the death of a 35-year-old woman. Arjun was later granted bail.

During the discussions, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy stressed for the need for celebrities to take responsibility for managing their fanbase and stressed that there would be no compromise on maintaining law and order, reported India Today. However, the Chief Minister assured the delegation that the government supports the Telugu film fraternity.

The meeting was attended by several industry stalwarts, including producers Allu Aravind, Suresh Daggubati, Sunil Narang, Supriya, Naga Vamshi, and 'Pushpa 2' producers Naveen Yerneni and Ravi Shankar. Actors Venkatesh Daggubati, Nithiin, Varun Tej, Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Kiran Abbavaram, and Shiva Balaji were also present, alongside directors Trivikram Srinivas, Harish Shankar, Anil Ravipudi, and Bobby.

This development follows Allu Arjun's dramatic arrest and subsequent bail related to the Sandhya Theatre stampede case, which left one woman, Revathi, dead and her son, Sri Tej, critically injured.

In the aftermath, Revanth Reddy criticised industry representatives for visiting Allu Arjun's residence after his release while neglecting to address the plight of Revathi's family.

The Chief Minister expressed his grief over the tragedy, stating that his government is taking the incident seriously. Additionally, in recent days, Revanth Reddy has openly criticised film celebrities, while the government has announced it would not permit benefit shows or allow ticket price hikes indiscriminately.

Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy suggested that ticket price hikes might be approved only for films highlighting history, the freedom struggle, or anti-drug messages.

This potential policy change could significantly affect upcoming Sankranti releases such as Ram Charan's 'Game Changer', Nandamuri Balakrishna's 'Daaku Maharaj', and Venkatesh's 'Sankranthiki Vasthunnam', as producers heavily rely on higher ticket prices to maximise opening weekend revenues.