Ahaana Krishna has finally spoken out about the controversy surrounding the film Nancy Rani, detailing her grievances over mismanagement, dubbing disputes and false allegations against her. The actor, who had remained silent for months, stated that she was compelled to respond after the film’s director Manu James’ wife Nyna publicly accused her of being unprofessional, claiming that the lead actor was refusing to promote the film ahead of its release on March 14. In a detailed statement, Ahaana explained that she had refrained from commenting earlier out of respect for Manu, who passed away in 2023. However, she felt forced to clarify matters when Nyna’s allegations continued to surface.
Ahaana described the film’s production as chaotic, attributing the difficulties to Manu’s inexperience and lack of organisation. She alleged that there were “missing costumes,” no proper scheduling, and that “no respect was given to money or time.” Additionally, she claimed that Manu “would come drunk to set on multiple days,” causing delays while the cast and crew waited for shooting to commence. The controversy escalated when Ahaana discovered in early 2022 that the filmmakers had sought a dubbing artist for a female role without informing her. Upon inquiry, she received no response from either Manu or Nyna. She later learned that her role had been dubbed without her consent and suspected that parts of her performance had even been reshot. When Manu eventually asked her to dub for the film after his first attempt failed, she refused, demanding a proper discussion first.
Ahaana also accused Manu and Nyna of spreading false allegations against her. In April 2022, Nyna allegedly told Ahaana’s mother, “At least my husband was only using alcohol, your daughter was into drugs.” Furthermore, industry insiders later informed Ahaana that Manu and Nyna had told them she was a talented actress but had “behavioural issues” due to drug use. In January 2023, Ahaana confronted Manu about these claims and recorded the conversation. She claimed that he admitted to spreading falsehoods and later apologised via a voice note. While she had considered taking legal action, she ultimately decided against it following his passing.
Ahaana clarified that her decision not to promote the film was not due to its quality but because of the disrespect she had faced. While she had initially supported the project—promoting its first-look poster in 2020—she later distanced herself after the alleged misuse of her work and defamation. In response to Nyna’s claims that Ahaana should “forgive and forget” and that she lacked “humanitarian concern,” the actress countered that she had remained silent for a long time but could not ignore repeated false narratives. She also rejected the notion that she was contractually obligated to promote the film, asserting that she had been paid only for acting.
Ahaana also highlighted inconsistencies in Nyna’s stance. She alleged that in September 2023, Nyna had privately expressed a desire to “get rid of everything connected to him (Manu), including this film.” The actress suggested that Nyna’s current push to promote the film could be a PR strategy aimed at gaining sympathy. Ahaana concluded her statement by asserting that if Nyna genuinely wished to promote the film, she should have kept her out of it instead of reviving past controversies.