The Income Tax Department has issued a notice to actor and filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran over payment-related discrepancies linked to three films in which he was both a lead actor and co-producer.
The notice seeks clarity on specific components of his income declarations, and the actor has been asked to respond by April 29.
Prithviraj is also the director of the film L2: Empuraan, which faced a massive hate campaign from Hindutva groups over its portrayal of the Gujarat Muslim genocide, leading to the trimming of several scenes.
According to sources, the three films in question—Gold, Jana Gana Mana, and Kaduva—were all released in 2022. While Prithviraj played major roles in each of them, he reportedly did not receive any remuneration in his capacity as an actor. Instead, fees were charged under the role of a co-producer.
It is said that Prithviraj earned approximately ₹40 crore through his involvement as co-producer across the three projects. The authorities are now scrutinising this income to determine the nature of the earnings and their tax implications.
Reportedly, income tax rates applicable to acting fees are higher than those applied to co-production roles. In this context, the I-T Department has asked Prithviraj to furnish a detailed explanation to ensure “accurate assessment.”
Officials clarified that an earlier inquiry had already been made regarding income generated from the aforementioned films. However, a notice was issued as part of the department’s financial year-end review for March. The communication was sent via email, directing the actor to respond either personally or through an authorised representative.
A senior tax official described the development as part of their routine procedures:
“This is a routine procedure and part of our standard verification process.”
This financial scrutiny emerges amid a larger context involving one of the producers associated with Prithviraj’s upcoming directorial venture L2: Empuraan. Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on establishments linked to Gokulam Gopalan, a key producer of the film.
Notably, the backdrop of these proceedings aligns with a wave of Hindu right-wing hate campaigns targeting L2: Empuraan. The film, a sequel to the 2019 hit Lucifer and the second installment in a planned trilogy helmed by Prithviraj, faced a Hindutva campaign shortly after its March 27 release.
Sections of the RSS and other Hindu right-wing factions alleged that the film vilifies Hindus by including references to the 2002 Gujarat Muslim genocide and using names tied to actual cases related to the violence.
Amid this uproar, the filmmakers were compelled to make post-release modifications. These included muting certain dialogues and removing content linked to the Gujarat genocide. This voluntary censorship led to the deletion of 2.08 minutes from the film.
Interestingly, along with several cuts, the scenes mentioning the National Investigation Agency—used to target political opponents—were muted in the film after campaign from BJP workers.
“There will be more raids. The BJP’s method is to threaten through raids. The country is in a situation where it is no longer possible to write an article or shoot a movie,” said AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal.
