Hyderabad, the city of pearls and precarious peace, has found itself in the middle of yet another blockbuster saga. The pushpa 2 premiere, meant to be a celebration of cinematic brilliance, has turned into an inadvertent sequel to the telangana statehood agitation. And the plot twist? A tragic stampede, fiery rhetoric, and stones hurled at jubilee hills mansions.
Starring allu arjun as the alleged antagonist (because why not, he's got the screen presence), the controversy took center stage after the tragic death of M. revathi and the critical condition of her 10-year-old son following the premiere stampede at sandhya Theatre. arjun, famously dubbed the "Icon Star," probably didn’t anticipate his role would extend from silver-screen swagger to real-life villain, at least in the eyes of former osmania university (OU) law faculty dean, Gali Vinod Kumar.
The professor, whose name could well feature in the credits of a political drama, berated arjun for not immediately visiting the bereaved family. "Arjun didn’t care to console personally nor did he think of giving adequate compensation until our OU students pelted his house with stones," thundered Gali at a press conference, subtly suggesting that stonemasonry is now part of OU’s curriculum.
Not to be outdone by the script, arjun upped his compensation from Rs 25 lakh to a hefty Rs 1 crore, and his co-stars, director B. sukumar and producers Mythri movie Makers, chipped in Rs 50 lakh each. Clearly, the telangana bidda tragedy had stirred their philanthropic souls—or maybe just their security concerns.
Meanwhile, OU’s Joint Action Committee (JAC) has taken the Telangana-first approach to heart. "These Andhra people should pack up and relocate to vizag by Sankranti," declared Gali, throwing down the gauntlet like a true antagonist to Andhra's telugu film industry. He’s also called for 85% reservation in the industry for telangana locals—because nothing says "cinematic progress" like caste and regional quotas.
Not content with rhetorical flourishes, Gali even dug up old dirt about land allocations to annapurna Studios, ramanaidu Studios, and Ramoji Film City. "You got land at throwaway prices, promising jobs for locals. Now, you’re looting us," he proclaimed, possibly mistaking Hyderabad's robust real estate market for a daytime soap opera plot.
The demand for Andhra filmmakers to "vacate Hyderabad" seems to ignore one small detail: the telugu film industry has spent decades turning hyderabad into a cinematic hub. But hey, who needs context when you’ve got agitation nostalgia and a generous sprinkling of hyperbole?
In a final flourish worthy of a climax, Gali assured the media that he is "unconnected with any political party," despite having contested elections. His aspirations, it seems, are purely selfless—unlike the so-called "Andhra looters."
As the credits roll on this high-stakes drama, one thing is clear: hyderabad might soon need a new tagline. "The city of dreams, disputes, and dualities" seems apt, don’t you think?
Coming soon: pushpa 3: The telangana Temperament—featuring 85% telangana talent, a 15% Andhra cameo, and a whole lot of political subtext.
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