2 weeks Ago
Shiny Sarah, known for Maheshinte Prathikaram, avoided a scam involving a fake casting call with Rajinikanth. Fraudsters demanded money for an "artiste card." She is now warning others.
Imagine getting a call for a film with Superstar Rajinikanth—sounds like a dream, right? Well, for Maheshinte Prathikaram actor Shiny Sarah, it almost turned into a nightmare. The actress recently revealed that she was contacted for an exciting new project supposedly starring Thalaivar himself. The catch? It was completely fake! The so-called “audition" was nothing more than a scam, and thankfully, Shiny caught on before it was too late.
Shiny Sarah, who made her big-screen debut with a memorable role in Dileesh Pothan’s 2016 film Maheshinte Prathikaram, recently shared the shocking experience. In a self-shot video posted on the social media handles of her friend and fellow actor Maala Parvathi, Shiny revealed how she narrowly avoided a casting scam. The fraudsters tried to dupe her into paying money by claiming she had been cast as Superstar Rajinikanth’s wife in an upcoming Tamil film.
“The other day, I received a message on my WhatsApp number saying that my application through a casting agency has been accepted. They informed me they were looking for actors who could play Rajinikanth’s son’s wife in Jailer 2. They then asked me if I had an artiste card.
When I said we don’t have such a card in Mollywood, he said they would make arrangements for the same. He then informed me that I would receive a call from a man named Suresh Kumar. I got a call two days later asking me to wear a saree and appear for a video call interview," she shared, OnManorama reported.
“Suresh Kumar introduced himself and said I was selected for the role of Rajinikanth’s wife. I was confused since actor Ramya Krishnan already plays the wife of Rajinikanth in Jailer. When I asked him about that, he said I was being considered for another film.
He then told me he was sending an application for my artiste card via email and asked me to share my Aadhaar card details and photo," she added. At first, Shiny Sarah played along and shared the requested details, but things took a shady turn when the scammer demanded an immediate payment of Rs 12,500 for an “artiste card." Sensing something was off, Shiny asked for two days to arrange the money, but the fraudster insisted on an instant partial payment.
Her suspicions grew, and she decided to check with her actor friends Maala Parvathi and Lijomol, who had worked in Tamil cinema. Since they weren’t available, she reached out to another artiste, who confirmed that this process doesn’t even exist in the Tamil film industry! Realising she had dodged a major scam, Shiny is now speaking up to warn others. “Many people have fallen victim to such fraud.
People need to be careful," she urged. In her social media post sharing Shiny Sarah’s video, Maala Parvathi revealed that the scam call came from 7535801976 and urged everyone to stay cautious..
