ED attaches Rs 10 crore assets of director S Shankar in ‘Enthiran’ plagiarism case

The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 10.1 crore belonging to Tamil director and producer S Shankar in connection with a money-laundering case linked to plagiarism allegations over his 2010 hit film Enthiran, reported The Hindu.

The agency’s Chennai Zonal Office issued the provisional attachment order on February 17 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, seizing three immovable properties in Shankar’s name.

Unidentified officials told the Hindustan Times that this may be the first instance in India where assets have been attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act foralleged plagiarism or copyright violations in filmmaking.

The case originates from a complaint filed by writer Aarur Tamilnadan before the 13th Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Egmore, Chennai, on May 19, 2011. Tamilnadan alleged that Enthiran, directed by Shankar and starring Rajinikanth, copied elements from his story Jiguba, making the filmmaker liable under the Copyright Act, 1957, and sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The Enforement Directorate’s investigation found that Shankar received Rs 11.5 crore for his contributions to Enthiran, including story development, screenplay, dialogues and direction. The agency also cited an independent report by the Film and Television Institute of India, which identified “striking similarities” between Jiguba and Enthiran.

“Based on the substantial evidence and records in hand, it has been determined that S Shankar has violated…

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