VIJAYAWADA: Expressing his anguish over the death of a woman in a stampede at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad on December 4 during the premiere of Pushpa-2, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said, “The tragic incident shook me. However, it seems that Allu Arjun has been left alone to face it.”
During a chit chat with mediapersons at the Jana Sena Party office in Mangalagiri on Monday, Pawan deplored the lack of proper communication from the theatre management, suggesting that it should have informed Arjun soon after the tragedy.
He further remarked, “The law is equal for all. It would have been better if someone from the Pushpa team, either producer or director, visited the family of the deceased soon after the incident to offer support. Now, it came true that which can be removed by nails, if neglected, needs to be dealt with an axe.
As a team, we should stand by the victims in such tragedies.” On rumours that the Telangana government had targeted Arjun as he ‘forgot’ the Chief Minister’s name at a promotional event, Pawan asserted that spreading such canards was not correct. “Revanth Reddy has risen through the ranks to become the Chief Minister,” he observed.
Pawan appreciated the Telangana government’s film policies, particularly the decision to permit ticket price hike for big budget movies, unlike the previous YSRCP regime, which introduced restrictive policies with an aim to stifle the Telugu film industry.
He made it clear that the NDA government would not disrupt the film industry in Hyderabad, but work towards strengthening infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh, leveraging its numerous scenic locations to attract Tollywood, which helps create jobs for locals.
Acknowledging the excitement fans feel when a hero arrives at the theatre, he said it may lead to chaos sometimes. “I have stopped attending film screenings to ensure public safety. Compliments from audience are priceless, but public safety is important,” he said.
Pawan recalled that his brother and veteran actor Chiranjeevi used to go to the theatre alone wearing a mask to gauge public response to his movies.
On the rampant red sanders smuggling in the State, Pawan said demand for the wood in China had decreased after the Covid-19 pandemic. “The previous YSRCP government’s negligence led to rampant looting of the precious wood species, besides inspiring films like Pushpa.” He also denounced the corruption in the forest department, and the lack of public awareness regarding environmental protection. He pledged to develop Borra Caves and protect wildlife.
The Deputy Chief Minister announced his plans to visit each district for 14 days in every month, along with his peshi, by establishing camp offices to understand the ground realities.
Emphasising the role of technology in development, he said, “Children need natural intelligence, not artificial intelligence. Though technology is useful, overdependence on it stifles creativity.”
Responding to a query on former minister and YSRCP leader Perni Nani’s PDS rice godown issue, he said Nani’s family came forward to pay `1.5 crore for missing PDS rice, which is an indication that something went wrong. “The NDA government is not harassing Nani’s wife, unlike the YSRCP regime’s treatment of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s wife. We haven’t implicated her in the case,” he asserted.
On welfare and development, Pawan felt that schemes without proper livelihood cannot drive progress.
“Welfare and development are the priorities of our country. Our culture is to provide food to those in need, but we must create employment opportunities to promote self-reliance,” he said. Pawan Kalyan underlined the need to protect Sanatana Dharma in the wake of increased threat from pseudo secularists.
Earlier, he met producer Dil Raju and discussed about ‘Game Changer’ movie. Dil Raju invited Pawan to attend the movie event as chief guest.