Tamil director S. Shankar landed in trouble, facing charges of plagiarism and copyright infringement related to his blockbuster film ‘Robot’ (Enthiran in Tamil) starring superstar Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bacchan.
On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached three immovable properties worth Rs. 10.11 crores registered under the film’s director and producer S. Shankar under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002. This is the first time ever in India to attach assets under the PMLA for plagiarism and copyright violations in filmmaking.
The controversy began with a plagiarism complaint filed by Tamil writer Aarur Tamilnadan in Egmore court on May 19, 2011, against director Shankar, accusing Shankar of copying his story, Jiguba, and making the 2010 sci-fi blockbuster Enthiran.
Following the complaint, the ED launched an investigation and revealed that Shankar received substantial remuneration of a total of Rs. 11.5 crores for story development, screenplay, dialogues, and direction.
A crucial investigation of an independent report from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) found striking similarities between Tamilnadan’s Jiguba and Enthiran, leading to charges against Shankar for violations under Section 63 of the Copyright Act, 1957, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Speaking of Enthiran, the film was released in 2010, became a massive hit, and grossed 290 crore worldwide, making it an all-time blockbuster at the time.
