Days after comedian Sunil Pal was kidnapped near Meerut, actor Mushtaq Khan has revealed that he too was kidnapped in a similar fashion on November 20. The actor’s business partner stated that Khan was tortured for 12 hours before he could escape.

Khan’s business partner Shivam Yadav stated that the actor was called for an award show in Meerut on November 20. He even received the advance payment in his bank account and flight ticket details. However, when the Stree 2 actor landed in Delhi, he was made to sit in a car, which was then driven to the outskirts of Delhi, near Bijnor, and the actor was kidnapped.

The report stated that the Welcome actor was kidnapped and tortured for 12 hours, and the kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore. They then took Rs 2 lakh from the actor and his son’s account.

The next morning, Khan heard azaan at the place where he was held captive, and realising that a mosque was nearby, he managed to run away from the place and reached the mosque. He then sought help from the people there, who contacted the police, and Khan managed to return home.

Yadav said that they are now in the process of filing an FIR and they have all the proofs of flight tickets, bank account transactions and CCTV footage from outside Delhi airport. “Khan also recognises the neigbhourhood, even the house where he was kept. I think the police team will surely get the culprits soon,” he said.

It was only last week that comedian Sunil Pal was invited for an event in Delhi, but was then kidnapped and taken to Meerut. He was eventually let go after he paid a ransom of Rs 7.5 lakh.

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, on Monday (December 9), stated that superstar Allu Arjun should not be blamed for the stampede which happened during the special screening of Pushpa 2: The Rule on December 4 in Hyderabad. For those unversed, the actor was also booked, along with the theatre management, for the stampede. A 37-year-old woman died and her son was injured in the incident.

Taking to his official X account, Varma stated that stampedes happen when a huge crowd gathers to get a glimpse of celebrities. He also said that police should not have given permission for the event if they knew the actor would attract thousands of people at the venue.

Defending Allu Arjun, the director wrote, “It is truly ridiculous to blame @alluarjun for the unfortunate death of a woman in a stampede outside a theatre playing #Pushpa2. Celebrities by their very appeal draw huge crowds whether they are Film Stars, Rock stars and even Gods for that matter… and stampedes happen very commonly when there are huge crowds and this is not the 1st time a stampede happened.”

He added, “On one hand if Allu Arjun or his team, if they themselves publicised his upcoming visit, then that information is public and isn’t it then the police’s responsibility to ask him not to come? If they did not do it, it means that they too didn’t anticipate which makes the incident an accident. Stars visiting theatres has been happening since years and crowds throng all the time and this is just a rare unfortunate incident.”

Varma also said that such special shows should not be banned. He also questioned why political rallies and not banned after people die in stampedes. “So even if one wants to take action either the police or theatre management should be made responsible for whether a star should be given permission to come but why ban BENEFIT SHOWS? Also there were hundreds of BENEFIT SHOWS all over the state and #Alluarjun just came to one theatre and so instead of putting restrictions on a star attending a theatre, to ban BENEFIT SHOWS is like BANNING TRAFFIC because of an ACCIDENT. People die in the political meeting stampedes or mela‘s stampedes, are the meetings or mela’s being banned?” he asked.

Allu Arjun reacts to the stampede

Allu Arjun expressed his condolences over the death of the woman at Sandhya Theatre due to the stampede. He also announced an assistance of Rs 25 lakh to help the bereaved family.

He said in the video, “We extend our deepest condolences to the family. We understand that no words or actions can ever compensate for the loss you are bearing. I would like to extend financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh to the family as a goodwill gesture… we will also take care of the medical expenses.”

Earlier, Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand reportedly said that there was no intimation from the side of theatre management or Allu Arjun’s team that he will be visiting the theatre. He also stated that there was no designated entry or exit for the actor and his team, despite the theatre management being informed in advance about their arrival.

For those unversed, Allu Arjun decided to attend the screening of the film and his fans went berserk to see him. As hundreds of fans rushed to catch a glimpse of Allu Arjun, the main gate of the theatre collapsed. Local cops resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd.

Aamir Khan, who was recently honoured at the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, has shared an exciting update about the possibility of uniting with Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan on screen. The actor confirmed that the three Khans had discussed the idea of working together on a film.

When asked about the possibility of the three Khans collaborating on a project, the ‘Ishq’ actor shared that about six months ago, he spoke to Shah Rukh and Salman about how great it would be if the three of them did a film together.

“About six months back, Shah Rukh, Salman, and I were together, and we did speak about this. I was the person who brought this up and told Shah Rukh and Salman that it would be really sad if the three of us didn’t do a film together. I think Salman and Shah Rukh were equally in agreement and were, ‘Yes, we must do a film together. The three of us.’ Hopefully, it will happen soon. It will need the right kind of story. So, we’ll have to wait for the right script. We are all looking forward to it,” shared the actor while speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival.

On the work front, Aamir Khan was last seen in the ‘Forrest Gump’ remake, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, which failed to connect with the audience. He has ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ in the pipeline. Genelia will reportedly play a pivotal role in the film.

The Red Sea Film Festival, running from December 5 to 14, has been a celebration of global cinema, attracting filmmakers and actors from all corners of the world.

Alongside Aamir Khan, Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Hollywood stars such as Will Smith, Vin Diesel, and Spike Lee also attended the festival.