A leading OTT platform is preparing to file criminal charges against a Tollywood producer and one of its former senior employees over allegedly inflated digital-rights deals spanning 2022–2024. The company’s internal audit was launched after a tip-off from members of the producer’s own camp, and the review reportedly found that three small-budget films by the same producer were sold at unusually high prices — in fact, higher than what several mid-range films fetched in that period. The OTT firm initially suspected collusion between the producer and its content-acquisition vice president, a highly influential figure who was asked to leave in early 2025. Now, the audit findings and the tip-off together have all but confirmed the suspicious transactions.

Sources say the OTT platform is first pursuing civil recovery to reclaim the inflated payments, while its legal team is also preparing to initiate criminal proceedings under Sections 406 (Criminal Breach of Trust) and 120B (Conspiracy) of the IPC. Industry circles are abuzz that this case could open a Pandora’s box in the OTT space, where numbers, influence, and integrity often collide behind closed doors.