The stage was set for the pre-release event of Devara: Part 1 at Novotel in Hyderabad on Sunday evening. Director Koratala Siva, actors Jr NTR and Janhvi Kapoor, and special guests like director Trivikram Srinivas and producer Naga Vamsi were to attend. But everything went downhill in a matter of hours, and the event had to be cancelled, even as hopeful fans waited around. 

What happened

X (formerly Twitter) was filled with videos taken by fans from inside the venue. One claimed that the venue was filled over capacity at 8 pm, and the event was about to be cancelled because of that.

Another wrote that despite the event being cancelled an hour ago, fans were yet to move out of the venue as they were hopeful to catch a glimpse of Jr NTR. One video also saw fans screaming and whistling while waiting for the film’s cast and crew to take the stage, which never happened.

A video of Trivikram and Vamsi seemingly leaving the venue also surfaced and many questioned if the event was cancelled, still in the dark about its status. After 10 pm, the film’s official X page, Jr NTR and Janhvi Kapoor posted statements on social media elaborating on the event's cancellation.

‘Barricades were broken’

Team Devara claimed that they faced ‘many challenges’ while planning the pre-release event, which is scheduled ‘close to Ganesh Nimarjanam’. They also stated that ‘heavy rains’ created many challenges, hinting at why they didn’t opt for an open-air venue.

“Even though it didn’t rain today conditions wouldn’t have been favourable for an outdoor event to happen even if we had planned it,” they wrote. The team also claimed that the turnout became ‘uncontrollable’ despite their best efforts. “The massive turnout of fans despite our best efforts became uncontrollable as barricades were broken due to the overwhelming crowd. For the safety of everyone we had to make the tough decision to call off the event.”

‘You know it hurts me’

Jr NTR also released a video statement in which he spoke of how much it ‘pains’ him to see the event cancelled. “It hurts me that the Devara pre-release event was cancelled, you know it hurts me. I wanted to meet you (fans) in person and share our journey with you. But we had to cancel it due to security reasons,” he said in Telugu.

The actor also claimed that the producers or organisers are not to be blamed for the cancellation as it was beyond their control. “My pain is bigger than yours in this regard. But this is not the producers’ or event organisers’ fault,” he said, adding that he hopes the audience will like his film and that it’ll make them ‘raise their collars in pride’.

‘I hoped to say this in person’

Janhvi posted a video on Instagram, writing in Telugu, “I thought I would say these words to you myself. But not this time. Hope to see you all soon. For now this is from me to you. This short message....See you in theatres on 27th of September #Devara.”

In the video, she spoke in Telugu, talking about how happy she is to receive love from the audience in Telugu states, especially from Jr NTR’s fans who call her ‘Janu papa’. She also said, “You have loved me as one of your own. I know how important you are to my mother (Sridevi), and know that you’re important to me, also. I will work hard to ensure that you are proud of me. I hope you like this attempt of mine, and I would like to thank Koratala sir and NTR sir for choosing me.”

About Devara: Part 1

Directed by Koratala, Devara: Part 1 stars Jr NTR, Janhvi and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles. The film will be released in theatres on September 27 and also star Shruti Marathe, Prakash Raj, Srikanth, Shine Tom Chacko, Narain, Kalaiyarasan and Murali Sharma in key roles. The film will mark Saif and Janhvi’s debut in Telugu. It’s also Jr NTR’s first solo release in 6 years.

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