Hours after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy accused Allu Arjun of being insensitive, the actor convenes a news conference to refute the charge.
Published Dec 21, 2024 | 10:21 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 22, 2024 | 11:09 AM
File photo of Allu Arjun. (X)
Refuting the charges Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had made against him in connection with the fatal 4 December stampede, Pusha 2: The Rule hero on Saturday, 21 December, said the incident was purely an accident.
A woman was killed and her nine-year-old son seriously injured in a stampede allegedly triggered by Arjun’s visit to the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad, where the movie was screened.
Arjun made the clarification hours after Revanth Reddy accused in the state Assembly that the actor had remained insensitive to the tragic incident.
The Tollywood star said the charge that he had remained in the theatre after being informed about the woman’s death was an outright lie.
Speaking to reporters after the chief minister had accused him of being insensitive, Arjun said a character assassination attempt was being made against him. Though the actor denied targeting any politician, he was obviously responding to the chief minister.
“I came to know about her death only the next morning. Had I known when I was in the theatre, I would have visited her family. In fact, my daughter and son were also with me. How would I stay in the theatre and watch the movie?” he said.
He said that after learning about the woman’s death the next day, he wanted to visit the family but he was advised against it.
“My legal team told me that I cannot visit the family because a case has been filed against me. They also advised me not to send anyone. I released a statement that I was very pained at the incident and announced financial assistance only to tell the family that I was concerned about them,” the actor said.
Arjun said he felt agony and pain on learning about the death of the woman and the critical condition of her son. “I have been getting hourly updates about the boy. In fact, after learning about the incident, I cancelled all my events,” he said.
The actor said he had toiled for three years for the film and it became a hit.
“I wanted to watch the film in the theatre to know the audience’s response. It is some kind of education as I would know how to improve myself. I have intended to put the Telugu film industry on a high pedestal. But this incident has put me off,” he said.
Arjun termed the allegations against him baseless. He said he was never informed that permission was denied to him to visit the theatre.
“Usually, when there is a crowd and the police ask us to return, we oblige because we do not want any incidents to take place. On that day (4 December) when I arrived there, the police were already there, clearing the way for my vehicle to move forward. I thought, there was permission for me,” he said.
Recalling the incident at the theatre, he said at one stage the crowd was too huge that his car could not move forward.
“I had to appear through the sunroof of my vehicle and wave at the crowd to make them retreat. This is what we do when the crowd becomes unruly because unless you show your face, they will not relent. It happens all the time,” he said, dismissing the allegation that he had held a road show.
Contrary to the chief minister’s claim, Arjun said no police officer had approached him inside the theatre to inform him of the stampede and the woman’s death.
“It was the theatre staff who told me that the crowd was heavy outside and advised me to leave. And I left,” he said.
The chief minister had said in the Assembly that Arjun remained in the theatre even after senior police officers informed him of the tragedy.
The actor pointed out that he would never remain insensitive if anything of this proportion happened to his fans.
“My fans are my life. Why would I remain callous when one of them dies? I went as far as Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam when similar instances happened to commiserate with their family members. I visit the families of fans of other actors too if any tragedy occurs,” he stated.
Arjun said he had not convened the news conference to blame anyone in the government. “The state government helped and supported us and I am very thankful. But I am very much distressed that misinformation is being peddled about me. This is causing a lot of pain,” he said.
“In one day, the credibility and the respect I had among my fans, built over the past 22 years had been demolished. All allegations made against me, my nature and character are baseless,” he said.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
