Telangana Government to Meet Telugu Film Industry Amid Tensions Over Allu Arjun’s Arrest

Hyderabad, 26th December 2024: A pivotal meeting between the Telangana government and representatives of the Telugu film industry is set to take place on Thursday, aiming to ease tensions between the ruling administration and the film fraternity following the recent arrest of actor Allu Arjun.

The 42-year-old actor was detained in connection with a stampede at a theatre screening of his latest movie, Pushpa 2: The Rule, on December 4th. The incident resulted in the tragic death of a woman due to suffocation.

Telangana State Film Development Corporation (FDC) chairman and producer Dil Raju announced on Wednesday that a delegation from the film industry would meet Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to strengthen “healthy relations” between the government and the film industry.

This meeting gained importance after Cinematography Minister Komatireddi Venkat Reddy hinted that the government might consider future ticket price hikes only for specific genres, such as films focusing on history, freedom struggles, or socially significant messages.

The state’s position on limiting ticket price increases follows the December 4th stampede incident at Sandhya Theatre. If enforced, the policy could impact big-budget films like Ram Charan’s Game Changer, Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Daaku Maharaj, and Venkatesh’s Sankranthiki Vasthunnam, scheduled for Sankranti next year.

Dil Raju, who produced Game Changer—a ₹400 crore film directed by Shankar—acknowledged the government’s decision to regulate benefit shows and increase ticket prices on a case-by-case basis. While welcomed by the Telangana State Film Chamber of Commerce, the move may pose challenges for production houses that rely on initial release-day revenues.

The meeting, organized by the FDC, seeks to bridge the gap between the government and the film industry, with Dil Raju playing a mediatory role.

Tensions escalated further after Congress leaders criticized Allu Arjun for dismissing the stampede as accidental and refuting allegations by CM Revanth Reddy regarding a “roadshow” before the film’s screening. The actor clarified that his appearance at the theatre was not a procession.

Allu Arjun was arrested by city police on December 13th in connection with the incident but was granted four weeks’ interim bail by the Telangana High Court the same day. He was released on December 14th.