Telugu choreographer Jani Master was today granted bail by the Telangana High Court in a sexual harassment case. Master – who has worked on dance sequences in big-ticket films like ‘Baahubali’ and ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ – was arrested last month after a 21-year-old employee accused him of sexual harassment over several years, including when she was a minor.
The young woman said she first met Jani Master – whose real name is Shaik Jani Basha – at an event in 2017. Two years later he offered her a job as an assistant choreographer, which she accepted.
The alleged sexual assaults took place subsequently, including once at a hotel Master and she, as well as two other male dancers, were staying in during a show in Mumbai.
The woman also accused Master of threatening her with physical violence if she filed a complaint, and that he mentally harassed her during photoshoots and rehearsals.
Master reportedly even forced her to convert and ‘marry’ him, despite being married; on one occasion, she has said, both Master and his wife entered her room and slapped her.
He was arrested on September 19 amid a MeToo row in Tollywood and Mollywood.