‘Enthiran’ plagiarism case: ED attaches filmmaker Shankar’s property worth Rs 10.11 crore under PMLA

CHENNAI: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Chennai Zonal Office on February 17 provisionally attached three immovable properties registered in filmmaker S Shankar’s name, amounting to a total value of Rs 10.11 crore, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED initiated an investigation on the basis of a complaint filed by Aarur Tamilnadan against Shankar before the 13th Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Egmore, Chennai, on May 19, 2011. The complaint alleges that the storyline of the 2010 movie ‘Enthiran’ (Robot), directed by Shankar and produced by Kalanithi Maran, was copied from a story titled Jiguba authored by Aarur Tamilnadan, thereby rendering Shankar liable for violations under the Copyright Act, 1957, and IPC, 1860, said a note from the ED.

The agency’s investigation revealed that Shankar had received a substantial remuneration of Rs 11.5 crore for his multifaceted contributions to Enthiran, including story development, screenplay, dialogues, and direction.

Also, an independent report by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) identified striking similarities between Jiguba and ‘Enthiran’. The report, which examined narrative structure, character development, and thematic elements, lends significant support to the plagiarism allegations against Shankar. 'Enthiran' featuring actors Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai in the lead grossed Rs 290 crore worldwide, making it an all-time blockbuster at the time.

Based on the substantial evidence and records in hand, it has been determined that Shankar has violated Section 63 of the Copyright Act, 1957 — a violation now classified as a scheduled offence under the PMLA, 2002, the ED added.

Further investigation is under way.