Fire broke out at Ashok Talkies, a cinema hall in the Rayagada district of Odisha, on Friday during the screening of Prabhas’ horror comedy film The Raja Saab, after enthusiastic fans performed aarti and attempted to burst crackers.
Frenzied fans reportedly lost their ‘composure’ during a crucial moment in the film when Prabhas made his on-screen entry. To celebrate the moment, several fans tried to burst crackers and perform aarti inside the theatre, which caused a sudden blaze near the screen area.
Videos of the ruckus went viral on social media, showing a few of the fans who volunteered to stop the fire and control the situation while the screening was halted temporarily.
No casualties or injuries were reported. The cinema didn’t suffer from any severe damage either.
The Raja Saab, directed by Maruthi, continued its strong run at the box office on Day 2, crossing the Rs 100-crore mark globally within just two days of release.
The film stars Prabhas in the lead, alongside Sanjay Dutt, Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, Boman Irani, Riddhi Kumar and Zarina Wahab in key roles.
The story revolves around Raju aka Raja Saab (Prabhas) on his quest for his grandfather Pekamedala Kanakaraju (Sanjay Dutt), an exorcist believed to be living in exile.
While Thaman S has worked on the soundtrack of the film, Karthik Palani has served as the cinematographer. Editing for the film has been done by Kotagiri Venkateshwara Rao and its screenplay has been prepared by Maruthi.
The film is produced by TG Vishwa Prasad and Vivek Kuchibotla under the banner of People Media Factory.