A day after choreographer Shaik Jani Basha, popularly known as Jani Master, was granted interim bail in a sexual assault case to attend the National Film Awards, his award has been suspended due to the gravity of the allegations and the ongoing legal proceedings, as per PTI. Jani was arrested a few weeks ago following a complaint by a woman from Madhya Pradesh, who alleged that he sexually assaulted her while she was working as his assistant choreographer. Since the survivor was a minor at the time of the incident, he was charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
In a statement, the National Film Awards Cell under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting noted that the invitations sent to him and others for the National Film Awards were issued before the allegations became public. The order, signed by Indrani Bose, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Film Festivals, stated, “In view of the seriousness of the allegation and the matter being subjudice, the Competent Authority has decided to suspend the National Film Award of the Best Choreography for the Year 2022 to Shaik Jani Basha for the film Thiruchitrambalam until further orders.” The order also indicated that his invitation to attend the awards ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on October 8 has been rescinded.
Also Read | ‘Kapil Sharma Show is the worst in the history of India’, declares FIR writer Amit Aaryan: ‘He’s nothing without his cast’
The Rangareddy court in Hyderabad, Telangana, granted him bail from October 6 to 10 to attend the event, with the stipulation that he surrender on October 11. He was lodged in the Chanchalguda Central Prison, The Hindu reported. After he was accused of sexual abuse and assault on multiple occasions by the survivor, an FIR was registered on charges of rape, criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt.
Earlier this year, in January, Jani officially joined the Jana Sena Party (JSP) in the presence of party president Pawan Kalyan, who is also serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. In light of the FIR, JSP instructed Jani that he refrain from participating in party functions and activities.
A prominent figure in Telugu and Tamil cinema, Jani received the National Film Award for Best Choreography for his work on “Megam Karukkatha” from Thiruchitrambalam, starring Dhanush and Nithya Menen in lead roles. His notable works include “Kaavaalaa” from Jailer (2023), “Ranjithame” and “Thee Thalapathy” from Varisu (2023), “Arabic Kuthu” from Beast (2022), “Srivalli” from Pushpa: The Rise (2021) and “Butta Bomma” from Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020).
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
