Actor Radha files Rs 46 crore cheque fraud complaint against sister Ambika, brother
Veteran actor Radha has filed a police complaint against her sister and actor Ambika, and her brother Mallikarjuna alleging that her signed blank cheques kept at her Chennai residence were taken without her knowledge and used in an attempt to claim around Rs 46 crore. The complaint, naming Ambika and their brother Mallikarjuna Kunjan Nair, was submitted to the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner on September 21.
According to Radha's complaint, she maintained an IDBI Bank current account for business-related expenses and had kept a few signed blank cheques in her room at her Chennai residence. She said the cheques were meant for routine payments, including salaries, utility bills, taxes and garden maintenance, particularly when she was travelling.
Radha said that the account was initially operated under the name ARS Garden Studio. After the business was renamed RR Gardens in January 2025, she received a new cheque book and stopped using the previous one. She said she had forgotten about the old cheques that remained at her residence.
The actor alleged that she was alerted to the issue on September 17, when her bank informed her that five of the old cheques had been presented for encashment of Rs 46 crore in Ambika's name. Radha said she immediately instructed the bank to stop payment, claiming that she had neither given the cheques to Ambika nor entered into any financial arrangement with her that warranted such payments.
Radha has further alleged that the cheques were filled out by their brother Mallikarjuna. She has claimed that Ambika and Mallikarjuna acted together in attempting to use the documents for unlawful financial gain and alleged that the cheques had been accessed from her room while she was away from Chennai.
The complaint also raises concerns over access to family property. Radha has alleged that she has been prevented from entering her property for about a year and a half, where she says valuables, jewellery, property documents and other records are kept.
Radha has asked the police to investigate the allegations and take criminal action if the charges are established. The claims made in the complaint are yet to be adjudicated, and the police investigation is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the cheques and their presentation.
Radha made her acting debut with Bharathiraja’s Alaigal Oivathillai in 1981 and went on to become one of the leading heroines of Tamil cinema through the 1980s. She worked with stars including Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Sivaji Ganesan and Karthik, and was particularly known for films such as Muthal Mariyathai, Amman Kovil Kizhakale, Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu and Rajadhi Raja. She also worked extensively in Telugu and Malayalam cinema, with Irakal being among her notable Malayalam films.
Ambika, Radha’s elder sister, began her career earlier and emerged as a leading actress across Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada cinema. Her filmography includes Malayalam hits such as Neelathamara, Rajavinte Makan and Irupatham Noottandu, besides Tamil films including Kaakki Sattai, Uyarndha Ullam and Kadhal Parisu. The sisters also shared the screen in several films, including Enkeyo Ketta Kural, Vellai Roja, Idhaya Kovil, Manakanakku, Kadhal Parisu and Annanagar Mudhal Theru.- EndsPublished By: K JananiPublished On: Sep 21, 2026 16:05 ISTALSO READ | Pics: Karthika Nair marries Rohit. Chiranjeevi, Jackie Shroff and celebs attend
