The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth more than ₹10 crore belonging to renowned filmmaker S. Shankar under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The attachment is linked to allegations of plagiarism and copyright violations in relation to his 2010 blockbuster film Enthiran.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the ED confirmed that a provisional order was issued on February 17, attaching three immovable properties valued at ₹10.11 crore.

The action stems from a complaint filed by Aarur Tamilnadan, the author of the story Jiguba, who alleged that the storyline of Enthiran was copied from his work. The complaint was lodged in a Chennai court on May 19, 2011.

Enthiran, starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai, was a massive commercial success, grossing ₹290 crore worldwide. The ED's investigation revealed that Shankar received a substantial remuneration of ₹11.5 crore for his contributions to the film, which included story development, screenplay, dialogues, and direction.

An independent report by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) found "striking similarities" between Jiguba and Enthiran, particularly in narrative structure, character development, and thematic elements. This report strengthened the plagiarism claims against Shankar.

The ED stated that based on substantial evidence, Shankar was found to have violated Section 63 of the Copyright Act, 1957; a scheduled offence under the PMLA.

Source / Image Credit : DT Next, Spotify