Allu Arjun is home. Pushpa-2: The Rule is a mega-blockbuster. And one woman is dead.
If you have been on the internet in the last few days, you know what this is about. A 35-year-old woman called Revathi lost her life due to asphyxiation in a stampede at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre. The stampede happened because Allu Arjun, his Pushpa-2 co-star Rashmika Mandanna, and his wife Allu Sneha Reddy turned up at the theatre to promote the film.
Allu Arjun and his team had the permits for the event. It isn’t wrong to assume that it was Telangana police’s job to ensure people’s safety. The event organisers also should have ensured that people don’t rush to greet their favourite star.
Support has been pouring in in favour of the actor. K T Rama Rao, son of former Telangana CM K C Rama Rao, for instance, tweeted, “Arrest of National Award-winning star Allu Arjun is the pinnacle of insecurity of the rulers! I totally sympathise with the victims of the stampede, but who failed really?”
I am not sure if I would be on the side of the police in this case either. Is an actor responsible for handling crowds? It’s the job of the authorities. But then, what is the role of the actor here?
In 2017, during the promotion of the film Raees, Shah Rukh Khan threw his t-shirt and some smiley balls at the crowd at a station. That led to a stampede in which one life was lost. Much like for Allu Arjun, in the case against Khan, the Gujarat and the Supreme Court both found him innocent. There was no evidence to prove mal-intention.
It’s true there is no question of criminal intent in either of the cases. Both actors were promoting their films. And yet, in both cases, one life was lost. We hear a lot about intention when dealing with cases. But I wonder: How much can we bank upon just this one idea?
While intention was central to the legal arguments, it’s crucial to consider the concept of unintentional torts. A tort is a wrongful act that causes harm, and unintentional torts, or negligent torts, occur when someone’s carelessness leads to harm, even without malicious intent.
In both these cases, the tort of negligence is applicable. And the burden of that falls on the authorities responsible for ensuring there isn’t any overcrowding. But did Allu Arjun or Shah Rukh Khan not know how bad the crowds get when they see celebrities in their midst?
The rise of social media has changed the dynamics of celebrity culture. It has deeply amplified the pressure on celebrities to stay relevant. This relentless demand for engagement has led to the stars taking risks. During the promotions of Simmba (2018), Ranveer Singh was seen climbing the porch of a movie theatre in Mumbai. While the crowd was largely contained, and the promotional event was successful, a mishap was only a misstep away.
The way I see it, there are several stakeholders in the making of a stampede. The overzealous fans. The media feeding the fan frenzy. The event organisers. And the stars themselves. I don’t think Allu Arjun or SRK belong in prison. However, they are culpable. The pressure to deliver a hit film may be a fair reason to take such extreme steps. But despite SRK’s presence, Raees did not fare well at the box office. And Pushpa-2 is a blockbuster irrespective of Allu Arjun’s visits to these venues.
In times like these, I am often reminded of Ashwatthama’s fate from the Mahabharata. Towards the end of the war, a grief stricken Ashwatthama attacked the Pandava camp, accidentally killing Draupadi’s five children. A result of his actions, Ashwatthama was cursed to roam the earth for eternity with the burden of his wrongdoing weighing heavy on his conscience.
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Every harm we cause, intentionally or not, makes us guilty. Intention isn’t always everything. Perhaps it is time that our celebrities consider the roles they play in society. They are powerful icons, and as Spiderman’s uncle would like us to remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
Or else, the fate of Ashwatthama awaits each one of them.
Indurkar is a writer, editor, and poet from Jabalpur. She is the author of It’s All in Your Head, M
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