Shweta’s arrest for prostitution leaves fellow actors in fear

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Sep 09, 2014: The recent arrest of National Award-winning former child star Shweta Basu Prasad for prostitution has caused unease in the southern film industry as her interrogation is likely to reveal names of more heroines allegedly involved in a high-profile flesh trade racket.

"There are fears among some of the actresses of Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam movies regarding what Shweta could reveal. The information could damage their reputation," S.M. Swamy, a leading Chennaibased casting director, said.

Meanwhile, there has been an outrage over the fact that the influential clients of Shweta are reportedly being shielded in the case. The Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam film industries are collectively referred to as the southern film industry.

Incidentally, Shweta is not the first actress in the South to be caught by the police in a prostitution racket. A Bangalore based actress Yamuna, who had worked with top actors in Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam movies, was also caught red-handed by the police at a hotel in Bangalore in 2011. In her heyday, the actress enjoyed superstar status and worked in more than 50 movies, some of them blockbusters.

 

Shweta enjoyed nationwide renown as a child actor, winning the National Award for Vishal Bhardwaj’s Makdee in 2003.

In 2010, two Telugu film actresses, Saira Banu and Jyothi, were arrested for their role in a similar prostitution racket. They were later released on bail. Not much has been heard about the Telugu actresses since then.

Another Telugu actress, Sravani, was nabbed by the police last year in Madhapur for similar charges. In 2009, Tamil film actress Bhuvaneshwari was arrested in Chennai for allegedly running a prostitution racket. The status of the probe into these cases is not known.

On Monday, a lesser-known Kannada actress, Divya Sriw, was arrested for prostitution, and actor Pawan Kumar held for running a prostitution ring. Last month, Kannada filmmakers Omprakash Rao and Guru Deshpande, and producers Diwakar Babu and Rajashekar were purportedly caught on camera trying to earn sexual favours from young girls with the promise of roles in films.

Courtesy:Indiatoday