On Tuesday, the Income Tax Department conducted raids at the residences and offices of prominent film producers Dil Raju, Ravi Shankar Yalamanchili, and Naveen Yerneni in Hyderabad. These producers have been involved with major projects such as Game Changer, Sankranthiki Vasthunam, and Pushpa 2: The Rule. The raids took place at eight different locations across Hyderabad, including their offices, homes, and an online portal.

Dil Raju, also known as Velamkucha Venkata Ramana Reddy, is a well-known producer and distributor in the Telugu film industry and the owner of Sri Venkateswara Creations. He was recently appointed as the chairman of the Telangana Film Development Corporation. Ravi and Naveen, who own Mythri Movie Makers, have also seen significant success with their productions. These raids appear to be linked to suspected tax evasion, though the Income Tax Department has yet to provide an official statement.

Raju's recent success includes the Sankranthiki Vasthunam film starring Venkatesh, while Ravi and Naveen are behind the blockbuster Pushpa 2: The Rule, which became a massive hit. Raju also produced the Game Changer film, starring Ram Charan, though it had a more mixed reception.

The three films have earned significant revenue: Pushpa 2 grossed ₹1228.25 crore in India and ₹1734.65 crore worldwide, Game Changer earned ₹125.4 crore net in India and ₹179.55 crore worldwide, and Sankranthiki Vasthunam earned ₹122.78 crore net in India.

Dil Raju's production company, SVC, has been a key player in the industry since the early 2000s, with hits like Dil, Arya, and Bommarillu. In 2023, Raju produced Varisu and co-produced Shaakunthalam and is now also behind The Family Star and Game Changer. Ravi and Naveen's Mythri Movie Makers have been producing hits since 2015, including Srimanthudu, Janatha Garage, Rangasthalam, and Dear Comrade, and are currently producing several big projects like Good Bad Ugly and Ustaad Bhagat Singh.

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