ED attaches ₹10.11 crore assets of director of Rajinikanth-Aishwarya Rai starrer 'Robot'

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached three immovable properties worth ₹10.11 crore belonging to filmmaker S Shankar under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The action follows allegations that Enthiran (Robot), the 2010 Rajinikanth-starrer directed by Shankar, was plagiarized from a 1996 Tamil short story Jiguba by writer Aarur Tamilnadan. The ED’s Chennai zonal office issued a provisional order for the attachment on February 17.

The case originates from a complaint filed by Tamilnadan before the 13th Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Egmore, Chennai, on May 19, 2011. The complaint alleged that Enthiran copied key elements from Jiguba, which was published in Iniya Udhayam magazine in April 1996. The ED noted that the Copyright Act, 1957, is a scheduled offence under PMLA and took up the matter based on this legal provision.

ED’s investigation revealed that Shankar earned ₹11.5 crore for his work on Enthiran, including story development, screenplay, dialogues, and direction. The agency also cited an independent analysis by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), which found "striking similarities" between Jiguba and Enthiran in narrative structure, character development, and thematic elements. "Based on substantial evidence and records in hand, it has been determined that S Shankar has violated Section 63 of the Copyright Act, 1957 — a violation now classified as a scheduled offence under PMLA, 2002," ED stated.

In June 2023, the Madras High Court dismissed Tamilnadan’s civil suit against Shankar and producer Kalanithi Maran, ruling that ideas and concepts cannot be copyrighted. However, the ED’s action is independent of the court’s ruling, as PMLA provisions allow investigation into proceeds generated from alleged copyright violations. The agency stated that it is examining further financial transactions related to Shankar’s earnings from the film.

The ED’s attachment of Shankar’s assets marks the first known instance of action under PMLA in a plagiarism or copyright violation case. The attached properties include prime real estate registered in his name. The order remains provisional, and Shankar can contest it before the PMLA adjudicating authority.