FIR Shockwaves in Tollywood: 25 Actors, Including Rana Daggubati & Vijay Devarakonda, Booked Over Betting App Promotions
Bigwigs such as Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, and Vijay Devarakonda booked in Telangana for promoting illegal betting apps; FIR lodged under cheating and IT laws.
Hyderabad, March 20, 2025
The Telangana film industry has been shaken again as Chief Minister Revanth Reddy‘s government stands firm against illegal betting app promotions. A new FIR has been filed against 25 top Tollywood actors and influencers, including the biggies such as Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Devarakonda, and Manchu Lakshmi.
The FIR was submitted after businessman Phanindra Sarma lodged a complaint accusing the celebrities of using their tremendous social media followings to spread illegal betting application promotions, that have attracted unsuspecting users by the millions. The celebrities took huge amounts from the platforms as payment for sponsoring these platforms that have reportedly destroyed many middle and lower-middle-class families financially, the FIR adds.
The FIR’s list of accused individuals also includes celebrity faces like Praneetha, Nidhi Agarwal, Ananya Nagalla, Siri Hanumanthu, Sreemukhi, Varshini Sounderajan, Shoba Shetty, Harsha Sai, Sunny Yadav, and Tasty Teja, among several other names.
The FIR, which was lodged in sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act, and state legislation, charges the stars with cheating and promoting financial extortion through these unauthorized betting sites. The complainant said he too narrowly escaped getting caught in the trap after he was cautioned by his family members.
Veteran actor Prakash Raj reacted to the FIR, making it clear that he had appeared in a similar ad in 2015, but withdrew after a year. He further said that he is now seeking further information on the current case.
This incident follows closely on the heels of the December controversy over Allu Arjun’s arrest, after the after Pushpa 2 premiere chaos resulted in the untimely death of a woman. The latest legal action is likely to cause further likely to cause further controversy, particularly since CM Revanth Reddy continues to hold his ground: while the government is backing the film industry, law and order will not be compromised.
Stay tuned for further developments on this high-profile case.
