Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda-starrer Ranabaali is the first film featuring the couple together after their wedding. The film was released worldwide today. However, ahead of its release, it got embroiled in controversy after the makers approached the court over allegedly defamatory content circulating online.
Vijay Deverakonda's Ranabaali ratings, reviews disabled on BookMyShow
A Bengaluru court on Friday granted ex parte interim relief to the makers against allegedly defamatory and false content about the Telugu film across social media and other platforms. According to LiveLaw, the order restrained X Corp, YouTube, Google India, BookMyShow, IMDb, Facebook India, Meta platforms and unidentified John Doe defendants from hosting or circulating such content.
The production house, Mythri Movie Makers, reportedly approached the court over specific links and comments it deemed defamatory. Its complaint alleged that after the Ranabaali teaser dropped on September 9, negative comments, reaction videos mocking the film and claims that it would be a flop began appearing online even before its release. The makers alleged that this amounted to ‘review bombing’ and claimed that anonymous accounts and bot networks were being used to call for a boycott.
Following the court order, public reviews and ratings for Ranabaali have been disabled on BookMyShow. A disclaimer on the ticketing platform reads, “Ratings & Reviews disabled as per court order.” The ‘I’m Interested’ and ‘Book Tickets’ buttons remain active.
The case concerning the allegedly defamatory content will be heard again on November 6. Meanwhile, the makers also received a John Doe anti-piracy injunction from a Madras court ahead of the film’s release.
The film’s synopsis on BookMyShow reads: “Set against the devastating backdrop of the Great Madras Famine of 1876, Ranabaali is a massive historical action spectacle that tracks the explosive rise of an indigenous rebel against the global might of the British Empire.”
Not just Rashmika’s film; even Nelson Dilipkumar’s Jailer 2, which was released on October 15, also has its reviews and ratings disabled on the ticketing platform. Yash’s Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, Nani’s The Paradise, Chiranjeevi’s Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, Pawan Kalyan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh and Shahid Kapoor’s O’Romeo are among the other big-ticket films whose reviews were disabled following court orders.