In a strong reaction to the stampede during the premiere show of ‘Pushpa 2’ at a theatre in Hyderabad, the Telangana government on Saturday announced that it has decided not to allow visits of the actors to theatres and benefit shows ahead of the release of movies.
Making the announcement in the Assembly, Minister for Cinematography Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, however, said the government will continue to extend special incentives for the promotion of the film industry.
He also declared that the government will not increase the rates of cinema tickets.
The state government has been allowing an increase in the rates for big-budget movies featuring top stars. It also permitted an increase in the rates for “Pushpa 2: The Rule”.
The minister’s announcement came after a statement by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on the December 4 incident at Sandhya Theatre, which claimed the life of a woman and injured her son.
The minister said that actor Allu Arjun did not fulfil his commitment to pay Rs 25 lakh compensation to the family of the deceased.
Venkat Reddy announced that he would pay Rs 25 lakh to the family from the Prateek Foundation. He later visited KIMS Hospital, where eight-year-old Sri Teja is undergoing treatment and handed over a cheque of Rs 25 lakh to his father Bhaskar.
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He said the government would continue to bear expenditure for the treatment of Sri Tej, who remained in a critical condition. He assured the family that the government would do everything possible to save the boy’s life.
The Cinematography Minister said the film’s hero or any other member of the film unit did not meet the family or visit the injured child.
He also assured the Assembly that steps will be taken to prevent such incidents in future.
After visiting the hospital, the minister said that the government would look into requests for enhancing cinema ticket prices and take a decision on a case-to-case basis.
Earlier, speaking in the Assembly, the Chief Minister came down heavily on actor Allu Arjun for visiting the theatre despite the denial of police permission and also conducting a ‘roadshow’ while arriving at the theatre. He claimed that Allu Arjun left the theatre only after a Deputy Commissioner of Police threatened to arrest him.
The Chief Minister said the actor also conducted a ‘roadshow’ by waving at people while leaving the theatre after the stampede.
He lashed out at the film personalities who made a beeline to Allu Arjun’s house after his release from jail but none of them met the family of the deceased or called on the injured boy.