The stage was set for the pre-release event of Devara: Part 1 at Novotel in Hyderabad on Sunday evening. Director Koratala Siva, actors Jr NTR and Janhvi Kapoor, and special guests like director Trivikram Srinivas and producer Naga Vamsi were to attend. But everything went downhill in a matter of hours, and the event had to be cancelled, even as hopeful fans waited around.

What happened

X (formerly Twitter) was filled with videos taken by fans from inside the venue. One claimed that the venue was filled over capacity at 8 pm, and the event was about to be cancelled because of that.Another wrote that despite the event being cancelled an hour ago, fans were yet to move out of the venue as they were hopeful to catch a glimpse of Jr NTR. One video also saw fans screaming and whistling while waiting for the film’s cast and crew to take the stage, which never happened.

A video of Trivikram and Vamsi seemingly leaving the venue also surfaced and many questioned if the event was cancelled, still in the dark about its status. After 10 pm, the film’s official X page, Jr NTR and Janhvi posted statements on social media elaborating on the event's cancellation.

Barricades were broken’

Team Devara claimed that they faced ‘many challenges’ while planning the pre-release event, which is scheduled ‘close to Ganesh Nimarjanam’. They also stated that ‘heavy rains’ created many challenges, hinting at why they didn’t opt for an open-air venue.