Fraudsters are now weaponizing old scandals like the Nithyananda video to blackmail victims. In 2024, an 82-year-old Pune resident lost Rs 10.74 crore after being shown a fake Supreme Court hearing via video call.
Videos shared on Peperonity were usually compressed into 3GP or MP4 formats. This allowed users with slow 2G internet connections to download and watch the viral Nithyananda-Ranjitha videos.
The story began in March 2010 when Chennai-based Sun TV aired a video that allegedly showed Swami Nithyananda, the head of the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam ashram near Bengaluru, in a compromising position with the then-popular Tamil actress Ranjitha. The video was reportedly recorded secretly by Lenin Karuppan, a former driver of Nithyananda who had grown disillusioned with his guru's behavior.
: She appeared in popular titles like Johnnie Walker (1992) and Maavi Chiguru (1996).
Born Sri Valli, Ranjitha was a highly successful actress in South Indian cinema during the 1990s. She starred in over 100 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages, working alongside some of the industry’s biggest directors and actors. Ranjitha’s Filmography: A Prominent Cinematic Career
But the damage of the "doubt" was already done.
The intersection of spirituality, celebrity culture, and early internet viral media created one of the most talked-about controversies in modern Indian media history. At the center of this storm were Nithyananda, a self-proclaimed godman, and Ranjitha, a well-known actress in South Indian cinema.
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The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) took up the case and ordered a forensic analysis. In 2011, the CID used images of both individuals for a detailed comparison with the video and concluded that Ranjitha was indeed in the clip. The video was sent to multiple Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) facilities, including those in Hyderabad, Chandigarh, and Bengaluru. The experts tallied the video images with photographs and .
To understand why the keyword remains bound to this controversy, one must look at the state of the mobile web in 2010. What was Peperonity?
: Starred in hits such as Johnnie Walker (1992), Mafia (1993), and Sindoora Rekha (1995).
