Police lathi-charge frenzied fans at 'Pushpa 2' trailer launch
What's the story
The trailer launch event of the much-awaited film, Pushpa 2: The Rule, turned chaotic in Patna on Sunday evening.
Over 10K fans thronged Gandhi Maidan to catch a glimpse of the film's stars, Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna.
According to ANI, the situation turned ugly when fans started climbing barricades and structures to get closer to their idols.
This prompted police to resort to a "mild" lathi charge on the crowd.
Event highlights
'Pushpa 2' trailer launch event details
The trailer launch event for Pushpa 2 started at 5:00pm on Sunday and the trailer dropped at 6:03pm on YouTube and other digital platforms.
Videos of fans frantically rushing to grab passes for the event have been circulating widely on social media.
In the clips, fans can be seen scrambling for passes and running off, causing chaotic scenes as event managers struggled to keep the crowd under control near the pass counter.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the viral video here
#WATCH | Bihar: People climb on structures erected at Gandhi Maidan in Patna to catch a glimpse of
— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2024Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna at the trailer launch event of 'Pushpa 2: The Rule'. A massive crowd has gathered here, security deployed at the spot. pic.twitter.com/4KTaJ8EoxB
Official statement
'Situation was under control': Patna Police
Despite the chaos, Patna police officials insisted that they had the situation under control.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajeev Mishra told E-Times, "Only a group of people who had come to watch the event and tried to cross the barricade were removed."
He said an adequate number of security personnel were deployed at Gandhi Maidan.
Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh also told PTI that everything was under control.
Twitter Post
How security personnel used baton charges to control the crowd
#WATCH | Bihar: Security personnel use baton charge to control the massive crowd that has gathered at Gandhi Maidan in Patna to catch a glimpse of Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna at the trailer launch event of 'Pushpa 2: The Rule'. pic.twitter.com/5uJ2ljVEWw
— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2024
Record-breaking views
'Pushpa 2' trailer sets new record
The trailer of Pushpa 2 has already broken a new record by hitting 10 million views in all languages within hours of its release.
The film, directed by Sukumar, is a sequel to the 2021 blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise and stars Arjun as the titular smuggler along with Fahadh Faasil and Mandanna.
Produced by Mythri Movie Makers and Sukumar Writings with music on T-Series, the film is said to be mounted on a budget of ₹300 crore.