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The husband of a 35-year-old woman, who was killed during a stampede that broke out at a film threatre during the premiere show of actor Allu Arjun's "Pushpa 2: The Rule" in Hyderabad, on Thursday said he "cannot bear the loss of his wife".
Bhaskar, the husband of the woman Revathi, said his family had decided to watch the premiere show only because his nine-year-old son is a huge fan of Mr Arjun. The nine-year-old is now in hospital due to asphyxiation.
"Our son, Sri Teja, is an Allu Arjun fan... We came to the movie only for him. Everyone calls our son 'Pushpa'. But I cannot bear the loss of my wife...," Bhaskar said.
The incident took place on Wednesday night, when a large number of Mr Arjun's fans thronged Sandhya Theatre to have a glimpse of the actor, who arrived with music director Devi Sri Prasad for the screening.
Police said that as a heavy crowd rushed ahead, the theatre's main gate collapsed, prompting the security personnel to resort to lathi charge to control the mob. Despite efforts to maintain order, the stampede turned fatal.
Revathi and Teja, who were also trying to enter the theatre, suffocated and fell unconscious, police added.
Bhaskar, a resident of Dilsukhnagar, said the police initially performed CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on his son, who regained consciousness. Both his wife and son were rushed to Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital, where the former died. He said his son is in a critical condition.
The couple's seven-year-old daughter, who was also accompanying them, sustained injuries in the stampede.
'Pushpa 2: The Rule', directed by Sukumar, is a sequel to the 2021 blockbuster 'Pushpa: The Rise' and is scheduled for release across 10,000 screens in multiple languages. Plans for a 3D version were scrapped due to delays in post-production, although screenings are set to proceed in 2D and 4DX formats.
The film stars Mr Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna, with Fahadh Faasil reprising his role. Amid the hype, ticket prices were hiked in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, resulting in petitions in courts. The Telangana High Court has allowed the release to proceed despite objections.