Chennai: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Chennai Zonal Office has provisionally attached three immovable properties registered in the name of renowned Tamil film director S. Shankar.
The properties, valued at approximately Rs 10.11 crore, have been seized, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The investigation stems from a complaint filed by Tamil writer Aarur Tamilnadan against S. Shankar in the 13th Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Egmore, Chennai, on May 19, 2011 (Case No. 2067/2011).
Tamilnadan alleged that the storyline of Enthiran (Robot), a blockbuster film directed by Shankar, was plagiarised from his short story Jiguba. This, he claimed, constituted a violation of the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), of 1860.
Following the complaint, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched an investigation, which revealed that Shankar had received a substantial remuneration of Rs 11.5 crore for his work on Enthiran, including story development, screenplay, dialogues, and direction.
As part of the inquiry, an independent report by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was commissioned. The analysis found striking similarities between Tamilnadan’s story Jiguba and the narrative of Enthiran.
The report examined key aspects such as narrative structure, character development, and thematic elements. The findings supported Tamilnadan’s plagiarism claims.
The 2010 film Enthiran, starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai, was a massive commercial success, grossing Rs 290 crore worldwide. However, based on the evidence collected, authorities concluded that S. Shankar had violated Section 63 of the Copyright Act, 1957—a crime that is now classified as a scheduled offence under the PMLA, 2002.
Subsequently, the Metropolitan Magistrate Court-II, Egmore, issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against S. Shankar for repeatedly failing to appear in court regarding the case.
Writer Aarur Tamilnadan originally published his short story Jiguba in the Tamil magazine Iniya Udhayam in 1996. It was later republished as a novel titled Dhik Dhik Dheepika in 2007.
Tamilnadan alleged that after Enthiran was released in 2010, it became evident that the movie’s storyline had been lifted from Jiguba. He accused Shankar and the film’s production team of unauthorised reproduction, which led to significant financial gains at the expense of his intellectual property.
The Supreme Court dismissed his petition last year, in which he challenged an order by the Madras High Court related to the copyright violation case. Meanwhile, the ED has confirmed that further investigations are ongoing.
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