Boney Kapoor defended Allu Arjun in the Sandhya Theatre stampede case, stating that the fan’s death was caused by the large crowd, not the actor’s actions. The case, linked to the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule, is still under investigation, with Arjun being granted bail after his arrest.
Boney Kapoor has stated that it was wrong to involve Allu Arjun in the Sandhya Theatre stampede case, emphasizing that the fan’s death occurred because of the huge crowd, not due to any actions by Arjun.
Boney Kapoor has supported Telugu actor Allu Arjun in the legal case following the tragic death of a fan during the premiere of his film Pushpa 2: The Rule. Boney said that Arjun was “unnecessarily dragged” into the case, and that the fan’s death was a result of the large crowd gathered at the event.
During a discussion at a Galatta Plus roundtable for filmmakers, Boney shared his experience of witnessing the madness of South Indian movie fans. “When I first saw Ajith’s movie release at 1 AM, I was shocked to see 20-25 thousand people outside the theatre. Even when I left around 3:30-4 AM, the crowd was still there. I am told the same happens for films of Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, and current stars like Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Mahesh Babu,” he said. He then connected this to Allu Arjun’s incident, adding, “Ticket prices are high on the first two days or at least on the first day due to extra shows. That is why…”
What is the Pushpa 2 stampede case? On December 4, the night before Pushpa 2 released, a special show was held for fans at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre. Allu Arjun arrived at the theatre with co-star Rashmika Mandanna and his wife Sneha Reddy. Police reported that Arjun’s presence caused a huge crowd to gather, which led to a stampede-like situation, resulting in the death of a 35-year-old woman. The government has claimed that Arjun came to the theatre without permission and refused to leave when told about the situation. However, Arjun has denied these accusations.
The actor was arrested last month on charges of culpable homicide, but was granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court the next day. The case is still under investigation.
About Pushpa 2: The Rule: Directed by Sukumar, Pushpa 2: The Rule stars Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, and Fahadh Faasil. The sequel to the 2021 hit Pushpa: The Rise has been an even bigger success at the box office. As of January 1, the film has earned ₹1760 crore worldwide, making it the third-highest-grossing Indian film ever.
