Actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran slapped with Income Tax Notice

Following the recent Enforcement Directorate searches on the office of L2 Empuraan producer Gokulam Gopalan, the Income Tax Department has sent a notice to actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran. According to a TNIE article, the notification asks for information regarding his earnings from three 2022 movies in which he co-produced and acted.

According to IT personnel, Prithviraj received the alert via email on March 29 and it was generated by the system. When irregularities or questions are found during regular income tax assessments, the notice is immediately generated. By April 29, the actor-director is expected to give an explanation.

Three movies that Prithviraj co-produced and acted in in 2022—Jana Gana Mana, Gold, and Kadavu—are being looked into by the IT Department. He allegedly only earned paid as a co-producer and did not seek any compensation for his acting, even though he played lead roles. As part of the routine verification process, the IT Department is now requesting clarity regarding his revenue arrangement.

An update to the IT investigation from 2022

Due to inconsistencies in Prithviraj’s tax returns, the IT Department conducted a search of his residence and workplace in 2022. His production firm and other related entities were also included in the search. Similar inquiries were made at the time against producers Anto Joseph, Listin Stephen, and Antony Perumbavoor.

This development coincides with Prithviraj’s recent film, L2 Empuraan, which features Mohanlal, Abhimanyu Singh, Manju Warrier, and Tovino Thomas. When examining the life narrative of Prithviraj’s character, Zayed Masood, the movie was criticized for several scenes that showed the Gujarat riots of 2002. Other than changing a name and adjusting speech, the creators made voluntary edits, eliminating some allusions.