Recently, the Patna event of 'Pushpa 2' attracted lakhs. An estimate says that at least two lakh people attended the event, which saw the Deputy CM of Bihar in attendance as a guest. Was the crowd there because of Allu Arjun's superstardom? At least one celebrity doesn't think so. And he is the provocative and ever-so-controversial actor Siddharth.
In a recent interview, the 'Bommarillu' actor suggested that India is a country where even a JCB digging site gets overcrowded (due to jobless onlookers). He drew a parallel between massive political rallies and the 'Pushpa 2' event, suggesting that both saw crowds because free food was distributed.
There can be a legitimate counter-view based on ground realities. The crowds witnessed during the Patna event would have been irrelevant had 'Pushpa 2' not registered excellent openings in Hindi. But that's not the case. Even in States like Rajasthan and Gujarat, the film is on a rampage. Secondly, political rallies do attract ingenuine crowds on the back of the distribution of biryani packets and money, but the real support enjoyed by a political party gets known once the election results are out. The box office results of 'Pushpa 2' are a blockbuster. The film's success is akin to a political party winning a landslide or a 2/3rd majority. Criticizing the victorious political party for distributing biryani packets before the elections makes no sense because all parties are guilty of the act but only one party won a landslide victory.
