Enthiran Director's Assets Seized Amidst Plagiarism Claims

Assets worth over Rs 10 crore belonging to director S Shankar have been attached under the anti-money laundering law, following charges of plagiarism and copyright violations related to the 2010 movie 'Enthiran'. The Enforcement Directorate executed the first asset attachment in India under PMLA for plagiarism allegations.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has confiscated assets valued at over Rs 10 crore belonging to S Shankar, the director of the 2010 film 'Enthiran', amid accusations of plagiarism and copyright infringement. This marks India's inaugural asset attachment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for such violations.

The legal action follows a complaint by Aarur Tamilnadan, whose story 'Jiguba' allegedly inspired the 'Enthiran' narrative without acknowledgment. The Film and Television Institute of India conducted an independent assessment and identified significant similarities between the two stories, corroborating the plagiarism claims.

S Shankar received Rs 11.5 crore for his contributions to 'Enthiran', including direction and screenplay. With mounting evidence, the ED accused Shankar of breaching Section 63 of the Copyright Act, now a scheduled offense under the PMLA, signaling a notable precedent in Indian legal proceedings concerning intellectual property violations.