Guinness World Record Bharatanatyam Event Tainted By Crores Of Financial Scam: Here's Everything.
On December 29, 2024, Kerala’s ambitious Bharatanatyam event which aimed to set a Guinness World Record led by Malayalam actor Divya Unni and other 12,000 dancers was performed at the Kaloor Stadium in Kochi.
The event, themed Kailasam was organised by Mridanga Naadam and inaugurated by Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian. However, the celebration was short-lived as controversy surrounding the event’s financial management began to unfold in recent days.
It has been alleged that the event organisers committed financial fraud, exploiting participants and sponsors alike.
The controversy began when MLA Uma Thomas fell 15ft from a temporary stage before the event. However, the event continued with 12,000 dancers performing together, led by actor-dancer Divyaa Unni.
MLA Uma Thomas who fell from the stage sustained severe injuries and has been admitted to a hospital in Kochi. However, what followed was even worse, exposing the financial fraud practice by the organiser that a housewife from Kaloor, Biji, filed a complaint alleging that the event organisers had committed financial fraud, both directly and indirectly.
Footage of MLA Uma Thomas falling from the stage at Kaloor JLN Stadium is now out.#umathomas #kochi #kerala pic.twitter.com/xW7saafNEw
— Sreelakshmi Soman (@Sree_soman) January 2, 2025
The police have since initiated an investigation and filed a case of criminal breach of trust against four individuals, including the director of Mridanga Vision, Nigosh, his wife, CEO Shameer, and actress Divya Unni’s friend Poornima.
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The complaint alleges that the organisers charged participants Rs 2,000 for participation and Rs 1,600 for costumes which accounts for a total of Rs 3600, per person.
The mother of a participant said that the Kaloor Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium was packed with more than 50,000 people attending the mega Bharatanatyam event, exceeding the stadium’s capacity of 35,000 and alleged that different types of tickets were issued to attendees of the Guinness World Record event.
According to reports, Kalyan Silks, who provided the costumes has clarified that they only became aware of the inflated charges for the costumes later. The police will also take statements from the sponsors, including Kalyan Silks and seek information from BookMyShow.
It was said that the costumes were purchased at Rs 390 for each from Kalyan Silks but were distributed at a cost of Rs 1,600 per participant.
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Despite the event aiming for a Guinness World Record, the participants were not given any prizes related to the record. The organisers received the record at the event, but the participants were left empty-handed.
The organisers had promised the participants that they would receive certificates and prizes for participating in the event. However, it now appears that the organizers had other plans.
Police stated that the investigation is ongoing, and it is likely that dance teachers who were involved in the financial exploitation will be implicated.
The dance teachers are believed to have been intermediaries in the monetary transactions. If more complaints are received, further action will be taken accordingly. The police are also urging anyone who has been affected by the financial fraud to come forward and file a complaint.
