Enforcement Directorate to question Soubin Shahir and other producers of Manjummel Boys

We had earlier reported that Kochi Maradu Police in Kerala registered a case against the producers of Manjummel Boys, including for cheating, on a complaint that they failed to honour a promise over profit-sharing they allegedly made to an investor in the film. On Tuesday, it was reported that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) decided to launch a preliminary probe suspecting money laundering by producers Shawn Antony, Soubin Shahir, and Babu Shahir.

Last week, ED questioned Shawn at the film's banner Parava Film's office in Kochi as part of the probe. The agency will be interrogating the other two producers soon. The new development comes following the police report submitted at Kerala High Court, which concluded that the producers had lied about spending more. According to the report, the producers allegedly committed financial fraud by claiming the film's production cost was Rs 22 crore, while the actual cost was Rs 18.65 crore.

The police registered the case on April 23 on the direction of the Ernakulam First Class Magistrate Court after Siraj Valiyathara Hameed, a seafood exporter, accused the production company of the film. The producers of Parava Films had allegedly promised him a share of 40 percent share from the profits, after he had invested Rs 7 crores. According to the complainant, the film had done exceptional business and his total estimated loss is around Rs 47 crores. Following this, the court ordered to freeze the bank accounts of the accused producers.

Manjummel Boys, written and directed by Chidambaram, was released on February 22. The film went on to become the highest-grossing film in Malayalam, grossing over Rs 200 crore globally, as claimed by the makers.