Boney Kapoor backs Allu Arjun amid Pushpa 2 stampede case: 'He was unnecessarily dragged and...'

Pushpa 2: The Rule star Allu Arjun was arrested after the death of a female fan at his film's premiere at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad. After Arjun's arrest, several celebrities from the South film industry opined that it was unfair to solely blame the actor for the incident. While the Pushpa 2 actor has been granted bail, the conversation around his arrest is far from getting over. Filmmaker Boney Kapoor said in an interview that the actor was 'unnecessarily' dragged in the stampede case.

Boney Kapoor on Allu Arjun's Pushpa 2 stampede case

In the Galatta Plus roundtable for filmmakers, Boney Kapoor recalled his introduction to South Indian fans' craze for their movie stars. The filmmaker admitted he was shocked to see 20,000 to 25,000 people outside the theatre when Thala Ajith's film was released at 1 am. Kapoor added that there were many people around after the film ended around 4 am.

Also read: Pushpa 2 box office collection day 28: Allu Arjun’s film becomes second biggest Indian grosser by beating Baahubali 2: The Conclusion's record

"I am told the same thing happens with films of Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, or present-day stars like Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Mahesh Babu," he said. The filmmaker linked it to the recent incident of Allu Arjun's arrest after his female fan's unfortunate demise.

"Ticket rates are inflated on the first two days or at least the first day for extra shows. That is why this situation has arisen where unnecessarily Allu Arjun was dragged and blamed for the death of a fan. It was only because of the crowd that had gathered to see the film," added Boney.

What happened at the Pushpa 2 premiere?

For the uninitiated, Allu Arjun attended the special show of Pushpa 2 kept for his fans. He arrived at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad with his wife Sneha Reddy and co-star Rashmika Mandanna. According to the police, Arjun's presence led to people turning up in large numbers and a stampede-like situation. This caused the death of the actor's 35-year-old female fan while one of her children got severely injured.

Pushpa 2, directed by Sukumar, was released on December 5, 2024.

Also read: Pushpa 2 stampede issue: Pawan Kalyan blames the makers; comes out in support of Allu Arjun