Pushpalatha, mother of Kannada superstar Yash, has lodged a police complaint against promoter Harish Arasu, accusing him of swindling roughly ₹64.88 lakh meant for the promotion of her debut film Kothalavadi. The FIR, registered at High Grounds police station in Bengaluru, charges Arasu, Manu, Nitin, Mahesh Guru and Swarnalatha (Rannayak) with cheating, criminal intimidation, defamation and criminal conspiracy.
According to the complaint, Pushpalatha entrusted Arasu with the film’s marketing for an agreed fee of ₹23 lakh. Instead, Arasu allegedly collected an extra ₹24 lakh through various channels using the film’s brand name, bringing the total received to ₹64,87,700, including ₹4 lakh in cash for print ads. Despite the large sum, no promotional activities were carried out, forcing the lead actor to spend ₹21,75,000 from his own pocket, and several social‑media and media promoters went unpaid. When Pushpalatha demanded an account of the funds, Arasu reportedly threatened her and demanded ₹27 lakh back.
The producer further alleges that on the release date of 1 August 2025, not a single promotional material was visible, and Arasu had begun spreading negative publicity. He also threatened to post defamatory posts on social media and to create a disturbance at her home. On 15 August, both Pushpalatha and director Shriraj Ravari received threatening phone calls from Arasu, Manu, Nitin and other unidentified individuals.
The complaint seeks legal action against all named accused for cheating, intimidation, defamation and conspiracy, and the High Grounds police have begun a thorough investigation. Kothalavadi stars Pruthvi Ambaar and Kavya Shaiva.