Jr NTR Says ‘My Pain Is Greater Than Yours’ After Devara Part 1 Pre-Release Cancelled Due to ‘Uncontrollable’ Attendance

What happened

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

Another wrote that despite the event being cancelled an hour ago, fans had not yet left the venue as they were hoping to catch a glimpse of Jr NTR. Another video also showed fans screaming and whistling as they waited for the cast and crew of the film to take the stage, which never happened.

A video of Trivikram and Vamsi apparently leaving the venue also surfaced and many people wondered if the event was cancelled, still not knowing its status. After 10 pm, the official page of the film X, Jr NTR and Janhvi released statements on social media explaining the cancellation of the event.

“The barricades have been broken”

The Devara team said they faced “many challenges” while planning the pre-launch event, which is scheduled “near Ganesh Nimarjanam.” They also said that the “heavy rains” created many challenges, which is why they did not opt ​​for an outdoor venue.

“Even though it did not rain today, the conditions would not have been conducive to holding an outdoor event, even if we had planned to,” they wrote. The team also claimed that attendance had gotten “out of control” despite their best efforts. “The massive fan turnout, despite our best efforts, got out of control as barricades were broken due to the overwhelming crowd. For the safety of all, we had to make the difficult decision to cancel the event.”

“You know it hurts me.”

Jr NTR also released a video statement in which he said how much it “hurts” him to see the event cancelled. “It hurts me that the Devara pre-release event has been 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 safety reasons,” he said in Telugu.

The actor also claimed that the producers or the organisers are not responsible for the cancellation as they had nothing to do with it. “My pain is greater than yours in this regard. But it is not the fault of the producers or the organisers of the event,” he said, adding that he hoped the audience would enjoy his film and make him “raise his collar in pride”.

“I was hoping I could 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 the cinema on 27th September #Devara.”

In the video, she spoke in Telugu, explaining how happy she was to receive love from the audience in Telugu states, especially 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 I know you are important to me too. I will work hard to make sure you are proud of me. I hope you like my attempt, 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 the lead roles. The film will hit the theatres on September 27 and will also star Shruti Marathe, Prakash Raj, Srikanth, Shine Tom Chacko, Narain, Kalaiyarasan and Murali Sharma in pivotal roles. The film will mark the Telugu debut of Saif and Janhvi. It is also Jr NTR’s first solo outing in 6 years.