Who is Jani Master? All About the Choreographer of Aayi Nai and Arabic Kuthu Accused of Rape

Choreographer Shaik Jani Basha, popularly known as Jani Master, has been booked for sexual assault following allegations made by a 21-year-old female colleague. A zero FIR was filed against him on Monday after the woman accused him of raping her multiple times. Jani Master, who has choreographed for major stars across Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi cinema, now faces serious legal consequences.

Career Beginnings

Jani Master started his career on the dance reality show Dhee and made his film debut in 2009 with Drona, starring Nithiin and Priyamani. His breakthrough came in 2012 when he choreographed Ram Charan’s Racha, which led to regular work with major Telugu stars like Pawan Kalyan, Allu Arjun, Jr NTR, Ram Pothineni, and Ravi Teja. In 2014, he expanded into Bollywood by choreographing for Salman Khan’s Jai Ho.

Iconic Dance Numbers

Jani Master is credited with some of the most famous dance routines in South Indian cinema. His choreography includes Pooja Hegde’s Jigelu Rani from Rangasthalam, Sai Pallavi and Dhanush’s viral hit Rowdy Baby from Maari 2, Butta Bomma from Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, and Seeti Maar from Salman Khan’s Radhe.

Recent Work

Jani’s recent projects include choreography for big films like Pushpa: The Rise (Srivalli), Beast (Arabic Kuthu), Varisu (Ranjithame), Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (Yentamma), Jailer (Kaavaalaa), and Stree 2 (Aayi Nai). This year, he won the National Award for Best Choreography for Dhanush and Raashii Khanna’s Megam Karukkatha from Thiruchitrambalam.

The Assault Case

According to PTI reports, the woman filed a complaint accusing Jani Master of sexual assault during outdoor shoots and an attack at her home. The Raidurgam police registered a zero FIR, and the case was transferred to the Narsingi police station, where she resides. She revealed that the assaults started when she was a minor.

Consequences and Political Ties

In response to the allegations, Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party issued a statement asking Jani Master to step away from party activities. Jani had worked closely with Pawan Kalyan during the AP elections and officially joined the party in January. The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce also stated that its sexual harassment redressal panel is investigating the matter.

Jani Master is married to classical dancer Ayesha, and the couple has two children.