Residents of Dilshukhnagar and natives of Hyderabad, the family is still unable to process Revathi's death and Tej's predicament.
Published Dec 19, 2024 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 19, 2024 | 11:14 AM
Following the death of his wife, Bhaskar's son Sri Tej is still battling for life.
Each time the door of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit’s door in Secunderabad’s KIMS Cuddles Hospital opened, Dhanalakshmi hoped for a piece of good news.
Some of the staff members offered a forced smile, while a few others avoided eye contact with the 60-year-old grandmother. The woman has been taking turns with her sister to sit outside the PICU ever since a publicity stunt went tragically awry at Sandhya 70mm theatre on 4 December.
Fourteen days have passed since the tragedy. Sri Tej, Dhanalakshmi’s nine-year-old grandson was excited that fateful day to watch the much-hyped Pushpa 2: The Rule on the first day. Along with his parents and little sister, the excited boy went to the theatre to catch the movie.
Little did the family then know about the tragedy that awaited them. Little did they know that the film’s lead actors would be visiting the theatre, triggering a crowd surge of frenzied fans.
Revathi might have been scared initially when the star-crazed fans surged ahead, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite movie stars. She tried protecting her children, standing like a wall between the crowd and her family. However, the crowd was too much for her.
People ran over her as she fell helplessly on the floor and her screams drowned in the cacophony. Outside the theatre, a beaming actor Allu Arjun waved from the sunroof of his car, as his personal security detail reportedly pushed and shoved to keep the crowd at bay.
Trampled by hero worshippers, the woman who tried to protect her children breathed her last. Dhanalakshmi’s only wish now is that her daughter’s sacrifice should not go in vain.
On Tuesday, 17 December, Hyderabad City Police Commissioner CV Anand gave an update. It did not bring relief to Dhanalakshmi. The boy is “very critical”, the officer told reporters after meeting the doctors.
At the family’s residence in Dilshukhnagar, Tej’s sister, 8-year-old Sanvika, is both confused and bewildered. People with sombre expressions have been visiting her residence, and speaking in hushed tones. Additionally, her doting mother and playful brother have been missing for a fortnight.
Sanvika knows a little — of the tragedy that has befallen her family. Still, she has not registered the gravity of the incident. The girl is not bothered about the arrest and bail of Allu Arjun. Nor is she aware that Pushpa 2: The Rule is setting records at the box office.
For little Sanvika, life has suddenly changed forever.
At the hospital, Dhanalakshmi, too, is at unease. “We’re anxious about the child’s condition. The media is forcing us to talk and distorting our words,” the woman wants to be left alone.
“Sanvika was initially confused by the number of people visiting our house after the incident. Once we told her, she has been inconsolable, constantly crying for her mother and missing her brother,” the grandmother said.
She said there was little improvement in her grandson’s condition. “It seems like he will take time to regain consciousness,” she paused. “His present condition makes us all so hopeless,” she wiped her eyes.
Recently, on 16 December, the family performed the 11th-day rituals for Revathi.
Even as silence enveloped Dhanalakshmi, a security member of the hospital asked this correspondent to leave. “The press is not allowed to speak to the family. It is the direction from the management and police,” he explained.
The guard has been stationed on the hospital’s 14th floor to keep unnecessary visitors away.
Tej and Sanvita’s father Bhaskar Magudampalli runs a gold shop in Abids. Commissioner Anand said that the government will bear the expenses of Tej’s treatment, something that Allu Arjun has been taking care of until now.
Inside the PICU, meanwhile, Tej remains on life support, oblivious of the happenings around,
Today, Hyderabad City Police Commissioner Sri C. V. Anand IPS and Telangana Government Health Secretary Dr. Christina IAS visited KIMS Hospital on behalf of the Telangana Government to inquire about the health condition of 9-year-old boy Sri Teja, who was injured in a stampede at… pic.twitter.com/PIEVIim7Hh
— Hyderabad City Police (@hydcitypolice) December 17, 2024
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
