HYDERABAD: Revathi and Mogadampalli Bhaskar’s son Sritej, 9, became a fan of Telugu actor Allu Arjun after watching ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ three years ago, so much so that neighbours nicknamed him ‘Pushpa’.
As Sritej battled for life in a Hyderabad hospital on Thursday and his mother’s body lay in a mortuary, an inconsolable Bhaskar wondered if 32-year-old Revathi lost her life by putting family above self, as always.
She died in the stampede at a city theatre the previous night during the premiere of the sequel to the 2021 ‘Pushpa’ film.
“She gave me life, and now she’s gone,” the 40-year-old said. Revathi donated part of her liver in 2023 when he needed a transplant. Her last moments, too, were about making the children happy, he recalled.
Sritej and his younger sister Sanvi had been pestering their parents to take them for a show of ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’. Wednesday was supposed to be a special movie night for them, with Arjun being in attendance at the premiere in Sandhya Theatre. Revathi was with Sritej when the stampede broke out, trapping both in a melee of frantic feet. Bhaskar had moved away with Sanvi earlier because the girl started crying amid jostling by fans desperate for a glimpse of the film star.
“I decided to drop Sanvi at my in-laws’ home in the lane next to the theatre. By the time I returned, my wife and son weren’t where I left them. When I called, Revathi said they were inside the theatre… That was the last I heard her voice,” Bhasker said, breaking down.
The bereaved husband believes Revathi was fatally injured in trying to protect their son as the unruly crowd scrambled to escape a police baton charge.
Even as he waited outside Gandhi Hospital mortuary, Bhaskar worried about his son who is in a hospital room a few kilometres away, having suffered “severe hypoxia and potential lung injury”. “I remember someone showing me a video where Sritej was being carried in a stranger’s arms, then being taken in a patrol car that stopped at Chikkadpally police station. He was motionless as they drove him to KIMS Hospital,” said the anxious father.
“I didn’t get any updates about Revathi until 2.30am Thursday. That’s when some cops broke the news to me, and my world crashed.”
Bhaskar has since being trying to convince himself to “stay strong” for Sanvi. The little girl, a family member said, was still in a state of disbelief about losing the person she was closest to – her mother.