I-T department serves notice on Prithviraj Sukumaran

KOCHI: The Income Tax department issued a notice seeking clarifications from Director-Actor Prithviraj in connection with earnings from a few movies he co-produced in the past.

According to sources, the notice regarding the tax assessment was system-generated and part of a routine procedure. The notice was sent via email on March 29, with the actor being asked to provide clarifications by the end of April.

Sources said that the notice was part of standard verification procedures subsequent to appraisal reports. The clarifications sought are regarding three films released in 2022 in which Prithviraj acted as well as co-produced.

In 2022, the I-T department held inspections at his premises as part of tax assessment enquiries. Similar investigations were held into other producers and production houses in the industry as well.

Meanwhile, sources said the notice had no connection with the row over the film, the Mohanlal-starrer 'L2: Empuraan', directed by Prithviraj, which was released last week. Its makers re-edited the movie after release as it invited harsh criticism from right-wing groups. Sources said that the I-T move was not a new development but a procedural action which happens based on appraisal reports.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted searches on the premises of the Gokulam group owned by Gokulam Gopalan, one of the producers of the film, in Kozhikode and Chennai. The searches were part of an ongoing investigation of the group under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).