ED attaches properties of film director Shankar -OxBig News Network

Film director and producer S. Shankar. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Chennai Zonal Office has provisionally attached three immovable properties worth about ₹10.11 crore registered in the name of film director and producer S. Shankar under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

This provisional attachment was done by the central agency on Monday (February 17, 2025) .

The ED initiated investigation on the basis of a complaint filed by one Aarur Tamilnadan against Mr. Shankar before the 13th Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Egmore, Chennai, on May 19, 2011. The complaint alleged that the storyline of the movie Enthiran (Robot) starring Rajinikanth and directed by Mr. Shankar, was copied from a story titled Jiguba authored by him thereby rendering Mr. Shankar liable for violations under the Copyright Act, 1957, and the (then) Indian Penal Code.

The ED said its investigation revealed that Mr. Shankar received a substantial remuneration of ₹11.5 crore for his multifaceted contributions to Enthiran, including story development, screenplay, dialogues, and direction. Furthermore, an independent report by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) identified striking similarities between the story Jiguba and the movie Enthiran. This report, which examined the narrative structure, character development, and thematic elements, lends significant support to the plagiarism allegations against Mr. Shankar.

Enthiran grossed ₹290 crore worldwide, making it an all-time blockbuster at the time.

In a statement, the ED said, “Based on the substantial evidence and records in hand, it has been determined that S. Shankar has violated Section 63 of the Copyright Act, 1957 — a violation now classified as a scheduled offence under the PMLA, 2002.”

Further investigation is on.