Jr. NTR's birthday celebrations turn ugly, fans set Vijayawada and London theatres on fire in excitement

The announcement of the re-release of Jr. NTR's 2003 film 'Simhadri' on his 40th birthday had his ardent fans thronging to select cinemas in India and across the globe in excitement. Directed by S.S. Rajamouli and written by his father V. Vijayendra Prasad, the film was one of the highest grossing films of its time and it catapulted NTR to superstar fame.

But for a few theatre owners, things took an ugly turn when fans acted irresponsibly out of excitement and almost set the screens ablaze.

In Vijayawada's Apsara Theater in Gandhi Nagar locality, four shows of the film were scheduled for the 20th morning. Fans came in huge numbers to rewatch the film and celebrate their favourite actor's birthday. Posters of 'Simhadri' were bathed in milk and the fans also engaged in cutting cakes and organising food drives and blood donation, in the name of the actor. But during one of the evening shows, fans in the front row bursted crackers causing a fire, which led to the cancellation of the remaining evening shows. Although no human casualties were reported, the remaining viewers were left angry and disappointed.

In another incident reported in London, UK, the video of which is now going viral, fans lit up firecrackers in Hounslow Cineworld, causing disruption and damage to property. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson stated, ‘The alarm is believed to have been caused by a smoke device being set off. There were no reports of any injuries but the cinema was evacuated as a precaution. We were called at 10.13 pm and the incident was over for our firefighters by 10.39 pm.’

With such frenzy and mania being witnessed in different parts of the world, filmmakers and cinema owners need to reconsider and take a collective, conscious decision about re-releasing former blockbusters in cinemas, if this is going to result in irresponsible and negligent behaviour from fans that can prove to be harmful to life and business.

Considered as the Man of Masses, Jr. NTR turned 40 on May 20 and took to social media to thank his fans for their unconditional love and support in a heartfelt post. He will be next seen in Koratala Siva's 'Devara' with Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor.