During their stay in the Mumbai hotel, Jani Master assaulted the victim and threatened not to tell anyone. He repeatedly asked her for sexual favours and physically assaulted her if she refused.
Published Sep 17, 2024 | 12:36 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 17, 2024 | 5:42 PM
Choreographer Jani Master case: victim assaulted and intimidated since 2019. (X)
On Sunday, 15 September, a 21-year-old woman choreographer filed a complaint against Tollywood choreographer and Jana Sena Party member Shaik Jani Basha, popularly known as Jani Master, for sexually, physically and mentally assaulting her since 2019.
Based on the complaint the Raiadurgam police booked Jani Master under charges of rape, sexual assault and criminal intimidation. The police also filed a Zero FIR and later transferred the case to Narsingi police, as her residence was under the Narisngi jurisdiction.
As per the FIR accessed by South First, the woman stated that she first met Jani Master in 2017, when she was participating in a dance reality show where Jani was a judge.
In 2019, she was contacted by Jani’s team, who offered her a job to join them as assistant choreographer.
The victim stated that it was during this time that the assaults began, especially on outdoor shoots. The victim joined the team in Hyderabad after which, she travelled to Mumbai, along with Jani and two other male assistants. However, her mother couldn’t accompany her as there was no accommodation or tickets.
During their stay in the Mumbai hotel, Jani assaulted the victim and threatened her not to tell anyone. He threatened that if she complained, she would be fired from her job and not get any work in the industry.
It is to be noted that the victim was a minor in 2019.
The victim stated that after the assault, Jani Master would repeatedly ask for sexual favours, and if refused, he would physically assault her.
Recalling one such incident, the woman choreographer said Jani hit her head on a mirror in the vanity van, injuring her.
She further alleged that he would also go to her house and vandalise her property, and scooter. The victim also noted that Jani had been pressuring her to marry him, after converting to his religion.
However, the victim stopped working with Jani Master and started working individually. She alleged that following this, the intimidation grew, and Jani along with his wife forcefully entered her home, and started questioning her about religion. Jani’s wife also slapped her multiple times.
The victim alleged that Jani made it difficult for her to find work in the industry and also threatened her on multiple occasions.
On 17 August, while the victim was travelling home, a few unknown people approached her and threatened her. On 28 August, the victim received a parcel with the note, “congratulation for song but be very careful.”
Meanwhile, G Hari Krishna Reddy, Inspector of Police in Narsingi police station, addressed the media on Monday. He said, “Based on the Zero FIR we are investigating the case. We will collect further information and evidence.”
When asked if the cops approached Jani Master, the inspector denied it, saying, “They will approach him after collecting evidence.”
When asked by South First correspondent if Jani Master would be charged under POCSO, the inspector replied, “We will do as per the procedure.”
Jani Master has also been active in Andhra Pradesh politics. As a member of Pawan Kalyan’s JSP, he campaigned for the party in the recently concluded elections.
However, as news of his case came out, the Opposition YSRCP targeted the JSP, which is part of the ruling dispensation in Andhra Pradesh.
On Monday, 16 September, the JSP released a statement, barring Shaik Jani Basha from party activities. The statement read: “Shaik Jani is instructed to stay away from all party activities in view of the case against him in Raidurgam police station. This order is effective immediately.”
శ్రీ షేక్ జానీ పార్టీ కార్యక్రమాలకు దూరం pic.twitter.com/WdLoQ8CSwH
— JanaSena Party (@JanaSenaParty) September 16, 2024
On the other hand, the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) held a meeting on Tuesday, 17 September, and noted that they formed a committee to enquire into the incident.
Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce press note on Jani Master case. (Supplied)
A press release from TFCC read: “The panel has received a complaint from a female choreographer, who’s a member of the Telugu Film and TV Dancers & Dance Directors Association against a popular choreographer. The Committee is constituted to address this case and the inquiry is in process. The Committee has given an interim report to put the alleged male choreographer president post in Union, to be put on abeyance until the enquiry is complete.”
The sexual harassment redressal committee includes TFCC honourary secretary and convenor KL Damodar Prasad, chairperson Jhansi; Tammareddy Bharadwaja, Suchitra Chandrabose, Vivek Kuchibhotla, Pragati Mahavadi as the internal members, and social worker-media expert Ramalakshmi Medapati and advocate-PoSH expert Kavya Mandava as the external members.
Jani Master won the Best Choreography Award for the song Megham Karukkatha from the 2022 film Thiruchitrambalam at the 70th National Film Awards.
A renowned name in South Indian film industries, he is also known for choreographing popular tracks such as “Rowdy Baby” (Maari 2), “Butta Bomma” (Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo), and “Arabic Kuthu” (Beast).
However, this is not the first time, Jani Master has been accused of harassment. In 2019, dancer Satish filed a complaint against the choreographer for harassing him. He had also been sentenced to six months in jail for a brawl in 2015.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Sai Charan Sana)
