Choreographer Jani Master's wife says survivor wanted to marry him, files complaint

Telugu choreographer Jani Master's wife filed a complaint with a film body against the sexual assault survivor, alleging that she tried to pressure him into having a romantic relationship with her and getting married to her.

In Short

• Jani Master's wife filed complaint against accuser
• Ayesha claimed accuser harassed Jani for romantic relationship
• She alleged a conspiracy to tarnish Jani's reputation

Telugu choreographer Jani Master's wife, Ayesha, on Saturday, reached out to Telugu Chamber in Hyderabad and filed a complaint against the woman who had accused her husband of sexual assault. The complaint comes days after Shaik Jani Basha was arrested in the Pocso case in Goa earlier this month.

IndiaToday.in exclusively got to know that Ayesha accused the survivor of forcing a romantic relationship on Jani, and teaming up with her mother to harass him. A source informed us that "Ayesha alleged that the victim had harassed her husband by repeatedly pressuring him into a romantic relationship and marriage, driving her to the brink of attempting suicide. She also claimed that the accuser's mother played a role in the harassment."

She further alleged in her complaint with the film body that Jani Master was repeatedly harassed and targeted for personal and professional gains by the junior choreographer who had worked with him as an assistant for six years. "Ayesha's complaint suggests that her husband was being targeted for personal and professional reasons, and that the allegations were part of a larger conspiracy intended to tarnish his reputation," the source said.

Earlier, during her written complaint to the police, the woman had alleged that Jani Master not only raped her multiple times over six years but also allegedly attempted to manipulate her into converting to his religion and 'marrying' him.

The National Award-winning choreographer is currently under judicial custody. The 42-year-old was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act after the police identified that he allegedly started assaulting the woman when she was still a minor, 16-year-old.

The survivor, now 21, reportedly met Jani in 2017 during a dance reality show, after which he offered her the job of an assistant choreographer. In her complaint to the police and to the Telugu State Commission for Women, the woman alleged that Jani kept assaulting her for six years, in various cities during their outdoor shoots, and also visited her residence in Hyderabad.