Hyderabad: A major fire broke out on Monday at a film set that was used for the film Manam, in Annapurna Studios in Banjara Hills, owned by Tollywood actor Akkineni Nagarjuna. Thick smoke engulfed the area and it took five fire tenders an hour to douse the flames. There were no casualties.
A short circuit is said to have caused the fire, which damaged property worth Rs 2 crore. “It was a five-year-old set and luckily the fire did not spread to the surrounding areas. When we constructed it, it cost us around Rs 2 crore,” said Nagarjuna. According to the fire department, the fire broke out between 6 pm and 6.30 pm. “It was an unused set and the reason for it is a short circuit. There were no workers inside the film set when it caught fire,” said police inspector K Purna Chander of the Jubilee Hills police.
Ms Supriya Yarlagadda, executive producer of Annapurna Studios and granddaughter of the late thespian Akkineni Nageswara Rao, who founded of the studio, said, “We were caught unawares by the fire. Everything was soon brought under control and all precautionary measures were taken.” She added that the property was not insured. Hyderabad traffic police took to Twitter to inform the public about the slow movement of traffic caused by the sudden fire.
According to the statistics with the Telangana State Disaster Response Force (TSDRF) and fire services department, the city has recorded 731 fire accidents in six months that claimed 17 lives. Officials said most accidents were caused by faulty wiring and electrical short-circuits. Another disturbing trend rearing its ugly face in the city is swanky cars, developing electrical faults and catching fire, said district fire officer of Hyderabad M. Srinivas Reddy.
After Fire at studio, haze settles over jubilee Hills
The winter haze did not help the air quality at Jubilee Hills after a fire broke out at Annapurna Studios on Monday evening. Following the fire, the PM 2.5 levels were found to be 62 as opposed to the prescribed standard of 55 for the area.
The local weather bureau said a layer of haze i.e. fine suspended particles, will remain in the upper strata throughout the day. With the additional smoke and particulate matter, the haze grows thicker due to lack of dispersion.
The wind speed in the area was only 0.90 metres per second as opposed to the required 1.5 metres per second, which led to the smoke hanging in the air.
“Since it was a movie set that was burning, a lot of wood and plastic has been burnt, which will lead to the release of carbon dioxide, monoxide and also particulate matter. That will definitely affect the air quality around that area especially since it is winter and the particles will stay suspended,” said a senior scientist of the pollution control board.
Actor Nagarjuna
Set retained as a tribute to ANR, Nagarjuna says
The fire at Annapurna Studios in Banjara Hills on Sunday evening burnt down the set where the blockbuster film Manam was shot. The film was memorable for featuring three generations of the Akkineni family, including the new bride, Samantha Akkineni, and the oldest family member, the late Akkineni Nageshwar Rao, the father of Nagarjuna.
“The last movie shot in this set was Manam. We have kept this as a remembrance of ANR. The set has no insurance and the fire caused damage of Rs 2 crore approximately,” actor Akkineni Nagarjuna told the media. As the fire continued, many from nearby areas rushed to the spot, which caused immense trouble to the fire department. Nagarjuna was seen repeatedly telling people to give way.
