The official public relations and legal teams representing Telugu cinema superstar Vijay Deverakonda have launched a fierce counter-offensive against a viral, coordinated misinformation campaign designed to damage the actor’s professional reputation.
The controversy erupted late Thursday afternoon when a simulated, highly deceptive screenshot designed to look exactly like a breaking news alert from the popular entertainment portal 123Telugu began circulating rapidly across X (formerly Twitter). The fabricated headline alleged that Deverakonda had made wildly extravagant demands on the sets of his upcoming historical magnum opus, Ranabaali, forcing the high-profile production house Mythri Movie Makers to lodge a formal complaint with the Producers’ Council.
According to the fraudulent screenshot, the Arjun Reddy star had supposedly demanded an unprecedented fleet of five to six luxury vanity caravans alongside a massive personal entourage of 40 to 50 assistants for daily operations. Recognizing the potential economic and reputational fallout of such a rumor within the trade, Deverakonda’s management swiftly issued an absolute, no-nonsense refutation. “Beware of a targeted misinformation campaign by certain individuals on X aimed at maligning Vijay Deverakonda,” the team’s official statement read. “These claims are completely baseless. Fake screenshots are being circulated claiming that Vijay has demanded 5–6 caravans for Ranabaali. Please do not spread such rumors.”
“The screenshot circulating on social media is entirely photoshopped. Our portal never published any such article regarding Vijay Deverakonda or Mythri Movie Makers. We strongly condemn this identity theft and are actively seeking legal recourse against the perpetrators behind this fake asset.”
Production Registry: Ranabaali Core Creative Matrix
| Operational Parameter | Verified Film Specifications & Production Data (June 2026) |
| Official Title | Ranabaali (A Period Action Epic) |
| Theatrical Release Date | September 11, 2026 — Global multi-lingual distribution |
| Directorial Lead | Directed by Rahul Sankrithyan (Taxiwala fame) |
| Primary Production Banner | Mythri Movie Makers (Pushpa franchise producers) |
| The Star Cast Pairing | Vijay Deverakonda (Ranabaali) & Rashmika Mandanna (Jayamma) |
| Primary Antagonist | Hollywood Veteran Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy) as Sir Theodore Hector |
A Historic Epic Moving Forward Amid Personal and Professional Milestones
The malicious rumors arrived at a time when Deverakonda is successfully juggling one of the heaviest professional workloads of his career. Having wrapped up his duties on Kingdom, the actor is currently dividing his schedule between director Ravi Kiran Kola’s mass actioner Rowdy Janardhana co-starring Keerthy Suresh, and Rahul Sankrithyan’s Ranabaali. The latter project holds profound emotional weight for fans, as it marks the grand on-screen reunion of Vijay and Rashmika Mandanna following their timeless chemistry in Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade. The beloved real-life couple, who got engaged in an intimate ceremony in Hyderabad last October, legally tied the knot earlier this year surrounded by family and close associates.
Narratively, Ranabaali is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious Indian cinematic properties of the year. Set entirely against the gritty backdrop of 19th-century colonial India, the screenplay is heavily inspired by localized resistance events that transpired between 1854 and 1878 under British rule. The film explores a brutal, historically overlooked chapter of economic exploitation and corporate violence.
Deverakonda steps into the shoes of the fearless, revolutionary titular freedom fighter, while Mandanna portrays the fiercely independent Jayamma. With Hollywood star Arnold Vosloo brought on board to play the menacing British tyrant Sir Theodore Hector, the movie remains firmly on track for its massive global theatrical premiere on September 11, 2026, completely unbothered by digital white noise.