ED Seizes Director Shankar’s Properties in Money Laundering Case
ED Attaches Rs.10 Crore Worth of Assets Belonging to ‘Enthiran’ Director Shankar in Money Laundering Case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Chennai Zone Office, has attached three immovable properties belonging to renowned Tamil filmmaker S. Shankar, valued at approximately Rs.10.11 crore.
The action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, following a complaint by Tamil writer Aarur Tamilnadan. He alleged that the storyline of Shankar’s blockbuster film Enthiran (Robot) was plagiarized from his short story Jiguba, violating the Copyright Act, 1957, and Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860.
The case, originally filed in the 13th Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Egmore, Chennai, in May 2011, led to an ED investigation. It was found that Shankar had received ₹11.5 crore for his work on Enthiran, including story development, screenplay, dialogues, and direction.
The ED’s action is part of its ongoing probe into the alleged money laundering case.
During the investigation, an impartial assessment from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was commissioned, and it was discovered that Tamilnadan’s narrative Jiguba and Enthiran had significant similarities.
The ED also released a statement on its Twitter handle: “ED, Chennai has provisionally attached 3 immovable properties registered in the name of S. Shankar, with a total value of Rs.10.11 Crore (approx.) on 17/02/2025 under the provisions of PMLA, 2002.”
ED, Chennai has provisionally attached 3 immovable properties registered in the name of S. Shankar, with a total value of Rs.10.11 Crore (approx.) on 17/02/2025 under the provisions of PMLA, 2002.
— ED (@dir_ed) February 20, 2025
The report’s results backed writer Tamilnadan’s plagiarism allegations. Enthiran, starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, was a huge success when it was released in 2010. It grossed Rs 290 crore globally.
Authorities have found that Shankar violated Section 63 of the Copyright Act of 1957, which is now designated as a scheduled offense under the PMLA of 2002.
The Metropolitan Magistrate Court-II in Egmore also issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against director S. Shankar for failing to appear in court on many occasions in connection with the matter.
What Tamilnadan said.
Aarur Tamilnadan first published his short tale ‘Jiguba’ in the Tamil journal Iniya Udhayam in 1996. The short tale was later reprinted as a novel, Dhik Dhik Dheepika, in 2007.
Tamilnadan claimed that Enthiran, which was released in 2010, was based on his short tale Jiguba. He then accused Shankar and the film’s production crew of unlawful reproduction.
