Fact Check: Jr NTR’s cutout was not burned by fans in Hyderabad after Devara’s release
The flames were caused by firecrackers used during the movie celebration.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 28 Sep 2024 10:49 AM GMT
Claim: Fans burned a Junior NTR cutout due to low ratings of Devara.
Fact: The claim is false. The incident occurred when fans burst firecrackers during the movie release celebration, which caused a fire to break out.
Directed by Koratala Siva, the Jr. NTR and Janhvi Kapoor starrer Devara was released on Friday, September 27, 2024. Against this backdrop, a 14-second video is circulating on social media showing a cutout of Jr. NTR engulfed in flames claiming that it was burned at a theater in Hyderabad due to the movie's poor performance.
An X user shared the video and wrote, “After knowing that disappointed fans burned the NTR cutout outside, Koratala Siva, watching a movie at Sudarshan 35mm, quickly slipped out of the theatre in fear, trying to avoid any trouble.” (Archive)
Several X users shared the video claiming the same. Click here, here to access the post and here, here to access the archive.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found the claim to be false. The flames were caused by firecrackers used during the movie celebration.
Upon conducting a reverse image search of the keyframe from the viral video, we found a video shared by India Today's YouTube channel on September 27, 2024. The video was titled, “Devara Movie Celebrations at Sudarshan Theater in Hyderabad Caught Fire.”
The footage shows a long firecracker placed on the ground in front of Jr. NTR's cutout. As the cracker is lit, embers fly out, causing the flame to spread to the garland on Jr. NTR's cutout. This indicates that the fire was an accident during the celebration, not a deliberate act by fans.
Several news outlets, including Times of India and Siyasat Daily, have reported on the incident, providing similar details. According to these reports, the Jr. NTR cutout at Sudarshan Theater in Hyderabad caught fire while fans were celebrating the release of the film. During the celebration, a ceremonial fire was lit, and flames from it accidentally spread to the garland on the cutout, causing it to catch fire. These articles confirm that the fire was unintentional.
NewsMeter also contacted Chikkadapally Police Station. Inspector A. Seethaiah clarified that the claim of fans intentionally burning Jr. NTR’s cutout is false. He explained, “The incident occurred when fans set off ceremonial fireworks. The garland on Jr. NTR's cutout caught fire and burned due to the presence of plastic flowers, which ignited quickly.” He also confirmed that no case has been filed regarding the incident.
Based on this, it is clear that the claim that fans burned the cutout due to Devara's poor performance is false.
