National-award winning choreographer Jani Master, known for dance numbers in Baahubali and Pushpa: The Rise, has been arrested after a 21-year-old assistant choreographer accused him of sexual harassment. The woman has further revealed that the first time Master raped her was in 2019, when she was still a minor. The choreographer was arrested from a hotel in Goa.
Cyberabad Police Commissioner Avinash Mohanty, while talking to Times of India, shared, “As per the procedure, he will be brought to Cyberabad on transit warrant, and will be produced before the competent court here.”
Police further informed that the choreographer will be charges with rape and criminal intimidation as well as stringent POCSO.
In the wake of the news, Master has been suspended by Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce.
Accusations By The Victims
In a statement to Police, the victim shared that she first met Master during an event in 2017. The choreographer offered her a job almost 2 years later, which she accepted. The alleged sexual assault took place several times, including the one that happened at a hotel, where Master was staying along with the girl and two other male dancers.
The girl has also accused Master of physically threatening her if she goes to file a complaint against him. She has told police that during these years, she was mentally harassed and tortured at rehearsals and photoshoots.
Things went too far when Master threatened her to convert and marry him, despite being already married to some other woman.
The case came to light amid #MeToo wave going on in the South Film Industry. Several popular names including Nivin Pauly, Jayasurya, Mukesh, and Idavela Babu have been accused of sexual misconduct by their colleagues and knowns.
