Months after arrest in Pushpa 2 stampede case, Allu Arjun given Gaddar award by Revanth govt

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7 days ago

The award for Arjun comes months after he was arrested and jailed, though briefly, with Telangana police blaming him, among others, for the stampede on 4 December at the film's premier at Sandhya theatre here.
The first 'Best Leading Actor' award, set to be formally presented to Arjun at a later date, is for the actor's performance in the blockbuster sequel Pushpa 2: The Rule , which grossed an estimated Rs 1,800 crore in global box-office collections.
Hyderabad: Telugu superstar of Pushpa fame Allu Arjun has been announced as the best actor for 2024 by the Revanth Reddy government as part of its Gaddar Telangana Film Awards.
The arrest was made on 13 December, amid uproar over the death of a 39-year-old woman M. Revathi in the stampede and her 9-year-old son suffering serious injuries. Revathi's family of four went to watch the Pushpa-2 premiere show at the famous Sandhya theatre which Arjun also visited to cheer his fans on eve of the release.
The police action took a political turn as the opposition BRS and BJP condemned 'the arrest of a national award winner', especially the manner in which it was carried out.
Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs and Telangana BJP leader Bandi Sanjay had in a post on X at the time said, '…national award-winning actor Allu Arjun, lifted straight from his bedroom without even being given time to change, is a disgraceful act of mismanagement and disrespect.'
'A star of his stature, who brought global recognition to Indian cinema, deserved better treatment,' Bandi said, while faulting the state government for its 'inability to ensure proper arrangements for a high-profile event'.
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao had said the 'arrest of National Award-winning star Allu Arjun is the pinnacle of insecurity of the rulers!'
'I totally sympathize with the victims of the stampede but who failed really? Treating Allu Arjun garu as a common criminal is uncalled for especially for something he isn't directly responsible for. There is always space for respect & dignified conduct.' former state minister KTR said at the time, while also 'condemning the high-handed behaviour' of the Revanth-led government.
Social media users, including many of Arjun's 8.6 million followers on X, strongly reacted to his arrest, some expressing anger at Revanth Reddy.
A local court sent Arjun to 14-day custody in connection with the stampede case but the Telangana High Court granted him interim bail later that same day.
However, despite his family's expectations and legal team's efforts, Arjun had to spend the night of 13 December at the Chanchalguda prison on account of procedural reasons and was released the next morning.
His supporters took umbrage at this too.
Arjun was booked under BNS sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 118 (1) (causing hurt). His alleged unannounced appearance at the Pushpa 2 premier show, police claim, triggered a frenzy among his fans present in large numbers there, causing a stampede in which the deceased woman's family, which came to watch the show, was caught.
The theatre owner and manager too had been arrested earlier.
The actor, expressing regret over the tragic loss of life, had first announced a Rs 25 lakh compensation for the family, which he later revised to Rs 1 crore. Separately, Pushpa 2 producers Mythri Movies and director B. Sukumar offered Rs 50 lakh each to the grieving family.
In January, Arjun also visited the boy Sritej, under treatment at a corporate hospital.
On Thursday, soon after the award was announced by the jury committee headed by veteran actor Jayasudha, Arjun took to X to express his gratitude. 'Heartfelt thanks to the Government of Telangana for this prestigious honour. All credit goes to my director Sukumar garu, my producers, and the entire Pushpa team. I dedicate this award to all my fans; your unwavering support continues to inspire me,' he wrote.
I am truly honoured to receive the first Best Actor award for #Pushpa2 at the #GaddarTelanganaFilmAwards 2024.
Heartfelt thanks to the Government of Telangana for this prestigious honour .
All credit goes to my director Sukumar garu, my producers, and the entire Pushpa team.
I…
— Allu Arjun (@alluarjun) May 29, 2025
In 2023, Arjun scripted history, when he became the first Telugu actor to receive the national award for best actor, for Pushpa 1: The Rise.
Soon after coming to power, the Revanth government in Telangana announced the reinstitution of the Telugu films-theatre awards in the name of late Gummadi Vittal Rao, popularly known as Balladeer Gaddar.
The awards are similar to the Nandi awards for Telugu films and drama that were discontinued by BRS after the formation of Telangana.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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