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Jani Master breaks silence on alleged feud with Shekar Master, reveals how Chiranjeevi came to help: ‘We are one family’
Reports suggested that Tollywood choreographers Jani Master and Sekhar Master had a heated verbal altercation during a Telugu Film Dancers Association meet.
Is there a rivalry between two of the biggest choreographers in Tollywood? Several reports indicated that the two choreographers Jani Master and Sekhar Master had a heated verbal altercation during a Telugu Film Dancers Association meeting on Sunday. On Monday, Jani Master took to his X account and spoke on the issue to clear the rumours.
Jani Master clarifies
He shared pictures from a film set where he was seen with Shekar Master and superstar Chiranjeevi. In the caption, he wrote, “A few misleading videos and false reports have been doing the rounds over the last couple of days…. I want to make this clear… there is absolutely no misunderstanding or conflict between me and Shekar Master Anna. We are one family and we have always stood by each other.”
Did Chiranjeevi act as peacemaker? Jani Master went on to add, “After these rumours surfaced, Megastar @KChiruTweets garu himself spoke to both of us on the sets. We spent time together, spoke happily and even had lunch together. His love, guidance and support mean everything to us. Please don’t believe or spread any baseless rumours. Let’s continue to stand together with love, respect, and positivity.”
What led to the controversy?
It is learnt that there was a tussle between Shekar and Johnny Master started over the Telugu Film Dancer Association elections and membership issues. It is said that the dispute escalated after the federation made arrangements to hold a by-election without permission.
Johnny Master's Wife
Jani Master's wife Sumalatha is the president of the Telugu Film Dancer Association. However, there is information that there is strong opposition among the association members against her unilateral decisions. It is also said that 10 dancers have resigned to this extent. However, there is no official information on this. Now, the majority of the federation members are saying that the preparation to hold a by-election without their knowledge has added fuel to the fire.
Dance choreographer Shaik Jani Basha, better known as Jani Master, was arrested in 2024 after his assistant alleged sexual abuse when she was a minor. He was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and later released on bail.
Jani Master’s POCSO case
A 21-year-old female assistant choreographer filed a case against Jani, and an FIR was filed in September 2024. She accused him of sexually abusing her in 2019 and 2020 when she was a minor while she was working with him. He was booked for sexual assault, criminal intimidation, and voluntarily causing hurt under the IPC and relevant sections of the POCSO Act.
He was arrested by the police in Goa the same month and granted interim bail in October 2024 to receive a National Award. Jani received regular bail later that month after the award was revoked. In November 2025, singer Chinmayi Sripaada wrote on X that Jani and his wife Ayesha ‘are 100% sure of being proven innocent’ in court, stating that his wife asks him not to speak about the issue.
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