The missing Kannappa footage controversy has taken a dramatic turn, as Vishnu Manchu revealed that individuals previously associated with his younger brother Manoj Manchu are connected to the disappearance of the film’s footage.


During an interaction with media in Chennai as part of the promotions for his upcoming film Kannappa on Friday, Vishnu alleged, “Raghu and Charitha (the two people currently under investigation for the missing footage) had previously worked with my brother, Manchu Manoj. However, I cannot confirm if the footage was taken under his direction. Four weeks ago, before we even filed a formal complaint, we reached out to Manoj through mutual friends to express our concerns and asked for the material to be returned. But there was no response.”


He added, “When the VFX-related hard disk was sent from Mumbai, it was delivered to my father Mohan Babu’s residence in Film Nagar — which is standard procedure. We are three siblings, and all our packages are routinely sent there. Our respective managers usually collect them from that location. Similarly, the hard disk in question arrived at our dad’s residence, where it was handed over to Raghu and Charitha . They have been missing ever since.”

Quote:
On May 18, a tweet began circulating, speculating, What if Kannappa movie’s hard disk gets leaked online? This heightened our worries. Before filing the FIR, we reached out to Manoj through common friends and urged him to return it (missing hard drive). But there was no response. Buzz is that it is at his residence
- Vishnu Manchu

Vishnu urged viewers to refrain from watching or circulating the material if it is leaked online. “The 70-minute VFX-heavy segment is password protected. But if any footage does get leaked We sincerely request everyone please don’t watch or share it. We’ve put immense effort into this project. I would be truly relieved if the hard drive is returned. Thankfully, we do have a backup.”

Background
According to a complaint filed by Executive Producer Reddy Vijay Kumar on Sunday, the package was received on May 25 at Mohan Babu’s Film Nagar residence by office assistant Raghu, who then handed it over to a woman named Charitha. Both have been missing since. The Film Nagar Police have registered a case against them under Section 316(2) of the BNS for criminal breach of trust. Efforts are ongoing to trace them and recover the footage.




Kannappa film footage controversy timeline
May 27: Reports emerge that VFX-heavy footage of Kannappa has gone missing.
May 27: A formal complaint is filed against Raghu and Charitha, accusing them of stealing the footage.
May 31: Manchu Vishnu alleged that Raghu and Charitha, who previously worked with Manoj, handled the footage.
-TNN