Following a stampede that claimed the life of a woman and injured her nine-year-old son at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad during the premiere of his film Pushpa 2: The Rule, actor Allu Arjun has been struggling with legal woes.
This is not the first time a popular actor has been involved in controversy, and the incident has renewed attention to South Indian actors who have been involved in legal issues.
Here are other South players who have seen their own share of legal embroilments, from judicial disputes to public outcry.
Darshan Thoogudeepa
On June 9, 2024, the body of Renukaswamy, a young man from Chitradurga, was found near a stormwater drain in Sumanahalli. The post-mortem report revealed that he had died of shock and haemorrhage caused by multiple blunt injuries. Following the finding, the Bengaluru police launched an investigation that led to the arrest of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa on June 11.
Darshan was taken into custody after his name came up during the questioning of nine others arrested in connection with the case. The police suspected Darshan’s involvement in the murder of Renukaswamy, who was reportedly a fan of the actor.
According to reports, Renukaswamy was lured to a shed in RR Nagar under the pretext of Darshan wanting to meet him. There he was allegedly tortured and killed. It is said that he was murdered for sending crude and obscene texts to actor and co-accused Pavithra Gowda, who is allegedly in a relationship with Darshan.
Back in 2011, Darshan was arrested after his wife filed a complaint accusing him of domestic abuse. He spent 14 days in judicial custody before the matter was settled out of court.
Dileep
On February 17, 2017, a popular Malayalam actress was abducted and sexually assaulted in a car by four men in Kochi. Months later, on July 10, 2017, Malayalam actor Dileep was arrested on charges of conspiracy in connection with the case.
Dileep was accused of hiring men to abduct, assault, and record videos of the assault over alleged personal enmity. He spent six months behind the bars before being released on bail.
Shine Tom Chacko
On January 30, 2015, Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko was arrested along with four women, reportedly models, from a flat in Kadavanthra, Kochi. During the raid, police seized more than 10 grams of cocaine worth approximately Rs 10 lakh.
Shine and the others spent two months in jail before being released on bail. Following his release, the actor claimed he had no knowledge of the happenings and insisted that he was trapped.
Mohanlal
Mohanlal, one of Malayalam cinema’s biggest stars, has been caught up in a legal case since 2011 after elephant tusks and ivory artifacts were discovered at his Kochi residence during a raid conducted by the Income Tax Department. The forest department charged the actor under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) for allegedly possessing the tusks without proper authorisation.
But Mohanlal has consistently maintained that the tusks were legally acquired. In 2015, he was granted a certificate of ownership by the Kerala government, based on directions from the Centre. Five years later, in 2020, the state government issued a no-objection certificate to withdraw the case.
In June 2022, a court nevertheless refused to allow the case to be withdrawn. The court noted that the certificate of ownership lacked legal validity, as there was no gazette notification to back it.
Mohanlal subsequently challenged the decision in the high court. In February 2023, the high court rejected the actor’s petition but, to a limited extent, agreed to the state’s request to withdraw the case. It also directed the magistrate court to reconsider the matter, keeping the withdrawal plea under review.
Nandamuri Balakrishna
In 2004, Telugu actor Balakrishna was at the centre of a controversy when he reportedly shot filmmaker Bellamkonda Suresh and his associate, Satyanarayana Chowdhary, using a revolver registered under his wife Vasundhara Devi’s name. According to Balakrishna, the incident occurred in self-defence after he was allegedly attacked with a paper-cutting knife during a heated argument.
Meanwhile, Bellamkonda initially said that Balakrishna had shot at him with an ‘intent to kill,’ but a day later he changed his statement, saying he could not recall who shot at him. Bellamkonda acknowledged that an argument had taken place, which led to the shootout that left him and Satyanarayana injured. However, he later denied attacking Balakrishna.
The case ultimately did not progress due to insufficient evidence.
