What 'Cheating' Scandal Is Latha, Rajinikanth's Wife, Accused Of?

Filmmaker-singer Latha Rajinikanth, wife of actor Rajinikanth, appeared before a Bengaluru court on December 26 for a case of "cheating" filed against her in 2015. A Chennai-based advertising firm had alleged fraud against Latha during promotions of the Tamil film Kochadaiiyaan. Latha was granted bail on Tuesday and the next hearing is scheduled for January 6. She spoke to the media, confident that the cheating and fraud allegations against her were just an attempt to malign a popular figure.

"It's a case of humiliation and harassment and exploitation of a popular person. This is the price we pay for being celebrities," Latha alleged, as reported by Asian News International. The last update, in this case, came in October, when the Supreme Court reopened the case after the Karnataka High Court had quashed allegations against Latha earlier.

#WATCH | On a cheating case filed against her, wife of Superstar Rajinikanth, Latha Rajinikanth says, "For me, it's a case of humiliation and harassment and exploitation of a popular person. This is the price we pay for being celebrities. So there may not be a big case, but the… pic.twitter.com/oIzOQUZDYK

— ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2023

Latha Rajinikanth Accused Of Cheating

In 2015, Ad Bureau Advertising, which produced the film Kochadaiiyaan, filed a case that they loaned Rs 10 crore to co-producers Media One, with Latha Rajinikanth as the guarantor. Since the trial began, Latha was acquitted of cheating in August 2022 by the Karnataka High Court, while maintaining forgery charges.

In October this year, the Supreme Court of India restored the charges against her and reopened the case. "We make it clear that if such application is filed on behalf of the petitioner(s), the findings rendered under the impugned order will not stand in the way, and the Trial Court is directed," the apex court ruled. 

Further, the court said, "Taking into consideration the further submissions made, the physical presence of the petitioner-accused shall stand dispensed with until and unless the same is required by the Trial Court... We further make it clear that we have not expressed any opinions on the merits of the case and it is well open to the parties to resolve the issue, also through mediation."

On Tuesday, Latha was granted bail on furnishing Rs 1 lakh personal bond and ₹25,000 in cash, reported Deccan Herald. Latha denied the allegations and told ANI, "There may not be a big case, but the news becomes very big (when a popular person is involved). There is no fraudulence...I have nothing to do with the money."

The film Kochadaiiyaan was released in 2014, starring Rajinikanth, Deepika Padukone, Jackie Shroff, Shobana, and other well-known figures. Although the film was not a megahit like Rajinikanth's other endeavours, it gained attention for being India's first photorealistic motion capture film, featuring 3D animated characters whose designs were based on the appearance and likeness of their respective actors.