Amidst the controversies surrounding his latest directorial L2: Empuraan, actor-filmmaker Prithviraj has been issued a notice by the Income Tax department. This is reportedly in connection with payment issues regarding three films—Kaduva (2022), Gold (2022), and Jana Gana Mana (2022)—co-produced by the actor.
As per reports, Prithviraj did not receive any payment for these films as an actor. Instead, he is said to have charged fees under the role of a co-producer, which is estimated to be around Rs 40 crores. The IT notice requests him to submit details on his income declarations for these films. Prithviraj has been asked to respond to the notice by April 29.
Though IT officials claim it to be a routine procedure, a section of social media users have called it a deliberate move by the Centre as a response to the alleged negative portrayal of Hindutva forces in Empuraan. It is worth mentioning that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided establishments of Gokulam Gopalan, one of the producers of Empuraan, on Friday.
Ever since its release, Empuraan has been entangled in controversies after various right-wing groups took objection to certain scenes in the film. This was followed by the makers 'voluntarily' re-censoring the film with 24 cuts, which included the changing villain's name. Lead actor Mohanlal also issued a statement regretting the distress caused, stating his film does not intend to promote hatred towards any religion or political ideology.
Meanwhile, the controversies have had no real effect on the film's collections as shows continue with packed audiences.