Did Vishnu Manchu accuse his brother Manoj of stealing Kannappa’s hard disk? Here’s what he said
Actor Vishnu Manchu has spoken about the stolen hard disk of his upcoming film Kannappa, which contains highly sensitive content. As quoted by 123telugu.com, Vishnu said that he “suspects” accused Raghu, who reportedly stole it, is employed by his brother Manchu Manoj. He, however, added that he “isn’t sure if Raghu stole the hard disk at the behest of” Manoj. (Also Read | Vishnu Manchu’s production house claims ‘vendetta’ behind stolen Kannappa hard drive: ‘No secret who orchestrated this’)
Vishnu Manchu breaks silence on stolen Kannappa hard disk
Speaking at an event while promoting Kannappa in Chennai on Friday, Vishnu alleged that Raghu and Charitha, who allegedly stole the disk, are part of Manoj’s staff. “In case the culprits manage to leak the footage, I urge everyone not to watch the leaked content. About 70 minutes of colour-graded footage that was sent from a Mumbai facility to our father’s Film Nagar residence was stolen by Raghu more than a month ago.”
“I suspect Raghu is employed by my brother, Manchu Manoj. But I’m not sure if Raghu stole the hard disk on my brother’s command,” Vishnu added. He also said that the hard disk is password protected and “it’s very difficult to crack”.
Case filed over stolen hard disk
A case was registered against two persons in Hyderabad following a complaint accusing them of the “unauthorised” possession of a hard drive containing highly sensitive content related to the upcoming movie Kannappa, news agency PTI reported, citing the police.
24 Frames Factory, a content development company, said in a post on X recently that a hard drive containing a pivotal action sequence between two lead characters of Kannappa, along with critical VFX work, was “stolen” during transit. It further claimed these individuals are planning to leak over 90 minutes of unreleased footage online in a desperate attempt to derail the release of Kannappa.
Based on the complaint filed by an executive producer of 24 Frames Factory, a case was registered under section 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) of the BNS at Filmnagar Police Station on May 25, and further investigation is ongoing, a police official said. The complainant stated that one of their VFX vendors based in Mumbai had dispatched the hard drive containing crucial data to their company’s office address in Filmnagar through courier.
As per the courier agency’s records, the parcel was delivered on March 25 to an office boy, Raghu. Upon verification, it was found that the office boy handed over the hard drive to a woman, Charitha. The hard drive was taken by the woman without any authorisation or intimation to the company, with “malicious and deliberate” intent, which amounts to unauthorised possession and criminal breach of trust, the complainant alleged. A team member contacted her, but she has since been evasive and uncooperative, he said.
About Kannappa
The film starring Vishnu in the lead role is scheduled for release on June 27. The mythological epic narrates the story of the titular legendary devotee of Lord Shiva. Kannappa is directed by Mukesh Kumar Singh and produced by Manchu’s banners, AVA Entertainment and 24 Frames Factory.
(With PTI inputs)
