Vikrant Rona Bengaluru pre-release event: Organizers struggle to control crowd; sparks safety issue on first floor of mall

The Vikrant Rona pre-release event in Bengaluru was supposed to begin a good 45 mins ago. The event at Lulu Mall is jam-packed with Kiccha Sudeep fans, since it is open for all. But the sheer number of people who have gathered to see Sudeep and team Vikrant Rona, along with chief guest Upendra, is putting a considerable strain on the infrastructure.

A sizeable number of fans have gathered on the first floor of the mall for a vantage view of the stage on which the programme will take place. The first-floor railing though is made of glass and will not withstand the pressure of these many people leaning against it, which, in turn, poses a safety concern. Mall authorities have security guards and other staff forming a human chain to prevent fans from getting too close to the glass, but that’s not been helping much. Filmmaker Gurudatha Ganiga, who is on the organizing team, has been requesting them to step back or even come to the ground floor. Police has also been deployed to keep the fans at bay.

But if this is the situation before the event has even begun, one can only imagine how it will be once Kiccha Sudeep takes the stage. The event is yet to start as we report this. Here’s hoping that all goes well.

This, incidentally, is the last of the promotional events in India for the film. Sudeep will fly to Dubai tomorrow for the film’s red-carpet premiere there. The film opens in theatres in India on July 28 in 3D and 2D. Produced by Manjunath and Shalini Gowda, the film directed by Anup Bhandari also stars Nirup Bhandari and Neetha Ashok.

It is being rumoured that the film has a strong Rangitaranga connect, so a repeat viewing of Anup’s first film is recommended before watching Vikrant Rona.