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While Empuraan co-producer Gokulam Gopalan is facing Enforcement Directorate (ED) heat, the blockbuster actioner’s director Prithviraj Sukumaran has received yet another blow, in addition to the brewing controversy over the movie’s content, as the Income Tax (I-T) Department has issued a notice to the actor-filmmaker, seeking clarification regarding the remuneration he received from three films he starred in during 2022. It may be recalled that Empuraan has been at the centre of a political storm ever since its release due to parts of its content — particularly the scenes set against the backdrop of the 2002 Gujarat pogrom — which did not sit well with the right-wing.
Nonetheless, Prithviraj’s mother and legendary actor Mallika Sukumaran asserted that they were not afraid of any probe since he had not committed any wrongdoing. “My son has done nothing wrong. We are not afraid of any investigation,” she stated during a conversation with Mathrubhumi News.
Served on March 29, the I-T notice has sought details about the remuneration Prithviraj received for his roles in director Dijo Jose Antony’s Jana Gana Mana, Alphonse Puthren’s Gold and Shaji Kailas’ Kaduva. Released in 2022, all three films were jointly produced by Supriya Menon, the actor-filmmaker’s wife, and Listin Stephen, under the banners of Prithviraj Productions and Magic Frames, respectively. Prithviraj is expected to respond to the notice by April 29.
It is worth noting that back in 2022, the I-T Department reportedly conducted searches at Prithviraj’s house and office over discrepancies in his tax filings. As this was part of a broader investigation into the Malayalam film industry, according to The News Minute, similar searches were carried out across Kerala and Tamil Nadu, including at the residences and offices of renowned film producers such as Antony Perumbavoor, Anto Joseph and Listin Stephen.
Despite being embroiled in controversies, Empuraan has become the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, earning Rs 241.65 crore worldwide, thus dethroning Chidambaram’s sensational 2024 survival thriller Manjummel Boys (Rs 240.5 crore). Featuring Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manju Warrier, Abhimanyu Singh, Tovino Thomas, Andrea Tivadar, Jerome Flynn and Indrajith Sukumaran in key roles, Empuraan serves as the second installment in a planned trilogy that began with Prithviraj’s directorial debut Lucifer (2019).
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