Nivin Pauly’s forgery complaint in Action Hero Biju 2 case triggers court action against PS Shamnas
The Vaikom First Class Judicial Magistrate Court has ordered an investigation against film producer PS Shamnas for allegedly submitting false evidence and misleading the court in connection with the ongoing dispute over the production rights of Action Hero Biju 2. The order comes under Section 227 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to furnishing false information or documents in judicial proceedings. The development follows a petition by actor-producer Nivin Pauly, who accused Shamnas of forging his signature to unlawfully claim full rights over the upcoming sequel to the 2016 film. The court has now found prima facie evidence that Shamnas presented forged documents to secure an earlier order directing the registration of an FIR against Nivin.
According to Nivin’s complaint, he, director Abrid Shine, and Shamnas had signed a formal agreement in March 2023 to jointly produce Action Hero Biju 2 under a shared banner, with all rights assigned to Nivin’s production company, Pauly Jr Pictures. However, Shamnas allegedly submitted a fabricated letter of consent to the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce, bearing a forged version of Nivin’s signature, and registered the project solely under his banner, Indian Movie Makers.
Shamnas later approached the Vaikom court with this document, claiming exclusive ownership of the project and securing an order for police action against Nivin. On scrutiny of the submitted materials, the court has now concluded that its earlier decision may have been obtained by misrepresentation, prompting it to order a fresh, non-bailable investigation against Shamnas.
The Palarivattom police have already registered a separate forgery case against the producer based on Nivin’s complaint, invoking IPC Sections 465 (forgery) and 471 (using a forged document as genuine). Meanwhile, the Kerala Film Chamber is reportedly examining the authenticity of the submitted documents and is expected to take further action pending the outcome of the police probe.
In a separate case, Shamnas had previously filed a cheating complaint against Nivin and Abrid Shine, alleging misappropriation of overseas distribution revenues and claiming he was owed Rs 95 lakh from their 2022 film Mahaveeryar. Notices for questioning were issued to both Nivin and Abrid in that matter earlier this month.