Almost two years after a 35-year-old woman died in a stampede at Sandhya Theatre, Hyderabad during the premiere of Sukumar’s 2024 Telugu action thriller Pushpa 2: The Rule, superstar Nani wrote to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on social media, seeking his permission to attend a public premiere of his film, Srikanth Odela’s period action thriller The Paradise today on September 23.

Nani writes to Telangana CM

Nani took to his X handle on Tuesday and wrote a note addressed to Revanth Reddy, Telangana Minister of Cinematography Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and the “respected officials” of Telangana Police. “This is a request from a fan of cinema and, more importantly, someone who has enjoyed cinema at its very best from a very young age,” wrote the actor.

“For me, cinema has always been about watching it together with people who love it just as much as I do. And in Hyderabad, that experience has a special place at RTC X Roads. I would love to visit a theatre at RTC X Roads for #TheParadise premiere show (23rd Sept) and experience the film with our audience, the very people we made it for,” he added.

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Interestingly, Sandhya Theatre, where Allu Arjun’s appearance in December 2024 during the Pushpa 2: The Rule premiere sparked a stampeded, is also located on RTC X Roads. “I believe the ultimate satisfaction of making a film lies in sitting among the audience and experiencing their response to it. We will follow all the necessary protocols and safety guidelines in place. That will be our priority,” concluded Nani.

Revanth Reddy on Wednesday responded to Nani’s request on X. “We appreciate your respect for safety guidelines, @NameisNani, and your commitment for the film directed by our talented young Telangana director, @odela_srikanth. To ensure seamless crowd management and public safety, please submit an official application to the designated local police station. The concerned team will review the application and take a decision accordingly,” he said, also tagging the official X handle of Telangana Police.

With the premiere just hours away, there’s no clarity yet whether Nani will attend the event on the eve of the release of The Paradise. The actor responded to Reddy and wrote on X, “Thank you for your prompt response, Hon’ble Chief Minister @revanth_anumula Garu. We completely understand the importance of public safety, especially with the Ganesh Nimarjanam arrangements.”

Claiming that he would “not want to add any burden to the police department or cause any inconvenience to the ongoing arrangements”, he will respect and abide by the police department’s final call. “If there are any complications from a safety or crowd-management perspective, we will completely understand and be happy to skip the visit,” added Nani.

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Set in the slums of 1980s Secunderabad, the period action drama follows the story of a marginalised tribe, stripped of fundamental rights, and faced with social discrimination. A fierce man named, Jadal (Nani), challenges this systemic oppression. The Paradise reunites Nani and Odela after their 2023 hit action film Dasara. It is produced by SLV Cinemas. While Sonali Kulkarni plays Nani’s mother in the film, Raghav Juyal will make his Telugu film debut as the chief antagonist. The ensemble cast also includes Mohan Babu and Kayadu Lohar among others.

Pushpa 2 stampede incident at Sandhya Theatre

Back in December 2024, during the much-anticipated public premiere of blockbuster Pushpa 2: The Rule, Revathy, a 35-year-old woman, died during a stampede caused by the appearance of Allu Arjun. Her young son also sustained grave injuries at the event. While Telangana Police arrested Arjun, he was granted an interim bail the same day by Telangana High Court.

Arjun, the management team of Sandhya Theatre, and the security personnel were among the 23 named as accused in a chargesheet filed by Hyderabad Police. After the court sent him a summon, Arjun initially failed to appear owing to scheduling conflicts. He has begun to appear virtually for the proceedings at the Nampally Criminal Court.