Actors Rashmika Mandanna and Varun Dhawan have come out in support of Telugu actor Allu Arjun after he was arrested in connection with the Sandhya theater stampede case in which one woman died. In a social media post on X (formerly Twitter), Allu Arjun’s co-star Rashmika Mandanna called the series of events “unbelievable” and “heartbreaking”.
On Allu Arjun being blamed, Ms Mandanna said, “The incident that happened was an unfortunate and deeply saddening incident. However, it is disheartening to see everything being blamed on a single individual. This situation is both unbelievable and heartbreaking.”
I can’t believe what I am seeing right now..
The incident that happened was an unfortunate and deeply saddening incident.
However, it is disheartening to see everything being blamed on a single individual. This situation is both unbelievable and heartbreaking.
— Rashmika Mandanna (@iamRashmika) December 13, 2024
During the promotion of his upcoming film, Varun Dhawan also said, “blame can’t be placed on just one person.”
“Safety protocols can’t be solely the responsibility of an actor. We can inform people around us. The incident was tragic and I express my condolences, but blame can’t be placed on just one person,” he said.
#WATCH | Jaipur, Rajasthan | On the arrest of actor Allu Arjun over the death of a woman in Sandhya theatre, actor Varun Dhawan says, “The actor cannot take the sole responsibility of the safety protocols. You can only tell the people around you…The incident was tragic. I… pic.twitter.com/mGYzgQbflt
— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2024
Reportedly, actor and former minister Konidela Chiranjeevi cancelled his shoot for Vishwabhara and visited Allu Arjun’s house to express solidarity.
For the unaccustomed, on December 4, Allu Arjun and music director Devi Sr Prasad made a surprise visit to the Sandhya theatre during the screening of his movie ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’. A stampede broke as people rushed to catch a glimpse of the megastar. A 35-year-old woman named Revathi died while her nine-year-old son suffered injuries in the stampede.
The Hyderabad Police registered a case against the actor, his security team and the theater management, basis a complaint by the victim’s family.
Allu Arjun has been charged by the Hyderabad Police with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and voluntarily causing hurt.
The actor was arrested this morning from his house in Jubilee Hills and taken to the Chikkadpally Police Station. The actor’s father – well-known filmmaker Allu Arvind – and other family members were present at the time of the arrest.
According to the Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand, there was no intimation from the theatre management or the actors’ team that they would be visiting. The unscheduled visit and lack of security arrangements lead to the stampede.