Pushpa 2 stampede: The hidden toll of cinematic fandom

Inside a packed cinema hall, three teenage girls perched on the edge of their seats giggle as Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna share a romantic moment in the kitchen. A little later, the screen erupts into an athletic dance sequence in Pushpa-2. What feels more like a PT drill than choreography sends the audience of 100-plus into a frenzy — cheers, whistles, and catcalls filling the air.

It was amid the communal euphoria such as this inside a darkened hall of Sandhya 70 MM theatre in Hyderabad that a tragedy unfolded on December 4 — a 35-year-old woman died, and her eight-year-old son continues to battle for life at a private hospital.

Every Friday, the cinema comes alive with a pulsating crowd of film enthusiasts armed with crackers, drums, tinsel, tambourines, oversized speakers, flower garlands, and packets of milk. As part of the ritual, dozens of milk packets are emptied over a towering 70-foot poster. “We spend the money from our own pockets for this. I love Allu Arjun,” says Manoj Reddy, but clams up when the conversation turns to the tragic events of December 4.

Now 28, Reddy mans the souvenir and ice-cream counter at the AAA (Allu Arjun Army) cinema hall in Ameerpet. A fan of the actor since Parugu (2008) and Race Gurram (2014), he admits he hasn’t yet seen Pushpa-2, as he is observing Ayyappa deeksha, a 41-day period of absistence and penitence dedicated to Swamy Ayyappa.

A love beyond the screen

The cinema hall, partially owned by Allu Arjun, features an Icon Star Lounge adorned with posters from his films and a section dedicated to family photographs. Inside, red low-settees are scattered across the spacious hall, where visitors, men and women alike, wander in, settle down, pose for photos, or snap selfies. Many mimic the iconic gesture and dialogue from Pushpa-1, sliding the back of their hands under their chin in a signature move. Here, moviegoers don’t just watch the legend; they become part of it.

“The actors are no longer just selling movies; they are selling experiences that can’t be replicated on OTT,” says Uma Bhrugubanda, an associate professor at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, who has researched Indian cinema and cultural history.

“After the COVID pandemic, big-star films were bringing people back to theatres. Pathaan and Jawan did it in the north. Big-budget films don’t rake in money unless they get a wide release, so they began positioning the theatre experience as part of the appeal to draw people in,” she explains.

Pushpa-2 released in 12,000 screens worldwide, including at theatres in RTC Crossroad, Hyderabad. The Sandhya 70mm, a legendary cinema in the area, seats over 1,300 cinegoers. It is where some of the most extravagant celebrations of a new release plays out in the Telugu states, causing traffic gridlocks and creating an electric atmosphere. Fans travel from different districts within Telangana and even neighbouring Andhra Pradesh for a first-hand experience of the hype.

It was this experience that an eight-year-old boy longed for, driven by his deep admiration for Allu Arjun, and his parents were equally excited by the idea.

The family, residents of Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad, purchased tickets for the benefit show to be screened the night before the official release. They paid ₹800 per ticket, unaware that this decision would soon upend their lives.

The plan was for Revathi, 35, and her two children to reach the theatre first, while the father, Mogudampalli Bhaskar, would have joined them directly from work. “My son wanted to watch the movie. I took him to Sandhya theatre upon his insistence. Allu Arjun coming there isn’t his fault. If anything, I am ready to withdraw the complaint,” says Bhaskar.

After finishing work, he rushed to the cinema hall, intending to join his wife, son and daughter to watch the movie together. But that wasn’t to be. Late that evening, he learned of his wife’s death in the stampede while he struggled to get his seriously injured son admitted to a private hospital.

On December 13, when police detained Allu Arjun, Bhaskar publicly stated that he wanted to withdraw the complaint that had led to the arrest. The actor was released after his family enlisted high-profile lawyers.

Director Ram Gopal Varma took to social media platform ‘X’ to share his thoughts, linking the arrest to the stakes involved in the movie’s success: “Chief Minister of Telangana @revanth_anumala did this to @alluarjun, I think it is because he wanted to give a big publicity boost to Telangana state’s favourite son for a huge rise in #Pushpa2’s week-2 collections. This explains why the state did such a deliberately weak prosecution so that he could be bailed out in a few hours and become even more mega popular to rule the box office for a long long time.”

On December 17, Hyderabad Commissioner of Police C.V. Anand issued a show-cause notice to the theatre management, questioning why cinematography licence issued to it should not be cancelled for the lapses leading to the death of the woman in the stampede.

In the two-page notice dated December 12, the official pointed out several lapses, including absence of women security, lack of frisking booths for women, lack of systems to check tickets leading to unauthorised entry and overcrowding, display of large flexis outside the theatre without permission, and improper security arrangements by the management, among others. The management has been asked to respond to the notice within 10 days.

High-stakes game

“There’s a lot of publicity behind big-budget films, which whips up a kind of mass hysteria. People are looking for a sense of community. Sometimes the star provides that, for young boys or young men. There is something to it, akin to religious processions, political rallies, or even cricket matches — there’s a collective energy that binds it all together,” says Bhrugubanda, explaining the fan phenomenon.

Fan following is both a legacy and an identity in the Telugu film industry. In 1984, Chiranjeevi made his mark with the blockbuster Challenge, following his hit Khaidi (1983), loosely based on Sylvester Stallone-starrer 1982 action thriller First Blood. The iconic 56-foot-high poster of Challenge became a landmark at Shanti cinema in Narayanguda, Hyderabad. Since then, generations of fans have been devoted to Chiranjeevi, who later forayed into politics but eventually stepped back. Today, much of that fan loyalty has shifted to Allu Arjun.

RTC Crossroad is a paradise not just for movie buffs but also for actors and filmmakers, where the fate of a film can be sensed even before the first show ends. It has been a tradition for lead actors to arrive and watch the movie alongside their fans. Not too long ago, the area was home to over 10 theatres. While many have now given way to malls and other commercial buildings, Sandhya Sudarshan and Devi Theatres have remained key landmarks.

The scale of the economic stakes is evident from the fact that between 2022 and 2024, five movies have breached the ₹1,000-crore mark in collections. Pushpa-2 ranks as the third biggest grosser, following Dangal (2016) and Baahubali-2 (2017). Of the top five all-time big grossers in India, only one is a Hindi movie; the rest are in Telugu and Kannada. This success has been driven by political decisions allowing filmmakers to raise ticket prices and screen more than four shows per day in cinemas.

Social media has further amplified the message, attracting an ever-growing audience eager to experience it.

Going national and international

Telugu and Tamil movies have mastered the art of subliminal messaging, seamlessly weaving it into their narratives. In Pushpa-2, for instance, the smuggler is asked how he plans to amass the resources needed to unseat a Chief Minister and plant a new one. “Cross the border. Become national… become international,” he says. It’s no coincidence that the film opens with the protagonist clashing with criminals in Japan.

The scale of Pushpa-2’s ambition was evident at its trailer launch in Patna’s sprawling Gandhi Maidan on November 17. Chaos erupted as fans clambered up the scaffolding, holding up the lights and speakers, desperate to glimpse the actors and hear them talk.

The police resorted to a cane-charge to control the crowd spilling onto the streets, narrowly avoiding a stampede.

“Even political rallies don’t attract so many people. All these people had gathered and turned up on their own — that’s the level of craze,” says Ram Kulesh Thakur, an English teacher from Muzaffarpur, Bihar. “Regional boundaries have faded. There’s no longer a distinction between Telugu or Malayalam heroes, as more Indians move across states for work or business. Dubbed south Indian movies have become a nationwide sensation.”

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced the number of cinema halls across the country, with many being converted into malls or shopping complexes. It also reshaped the movie-watching experience for audiences.

Meanwhile, OTT platforms cracked open language barriers, transforming Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam films into a pan-India phenomena and catapulting stars like Ravi Teja, Upendra, and Allu Arjun to national fame. After all, what’s not to love about a story where a character starts as a worker, struts with italicised swagger, breaks free from the shackles of poverty, and evolves into a suave metrosexual man of the world, sporting silk shirts, tailored trousers, and a penchant for chunky gold jewellery?

“The way I look at it, films like RRR and Pushpa seem to be following the Hollywood big-studio model, where nothing is standalone anymore,” says Bhrugubanda. “Because once so much is invested in publicising a film, it becomes a brand. That’s why every big-budget movie now claims to be part of a ‘universe’. If there’s KGF, there has to be KGF-2. When Kantara became a hit, a sequel was inevitable. There’s immense pressure on stars and filmmakers to capitalise on the success of such films, given the massive investments involved,” she adds.

“Despite being aware of the actor’s immense popularity, the management did not arrange separate entry and exit points for his team and failed to deploy adequate security to manage the crowd. Along with the actor, a large number of people from outside rushed into the lower balcony area. His personal security staff started pushing the crowd, which further aggravated the situation,” explains Central Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police Akanksh Yadav, recounting how the tragedy unfolded.

While these films rake in big bucks by riding the crest of fandom, it’s high time filmmakers allocate a portion of their earnings to ensure the safety of the very fans who live, breathe, and immerse themselves in the fantasy world they create.