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The Income Tax Department has issued a notice to Empuraan producer Antony Perumbavoor, seeking clarification on the alleged financial transactions related to his previously bankrolled films Lucifer and Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea, sources said.
According to sources in the Income Tax Department, the notice is a follow-up to the earlier raids conducted in 2022. Authorities have clarified that the current notice or the proceedings are not related to the recently released and "controversial" film Empuraan. In 2022, the Income Tax Department raided the offices and residences of several film producers in Kerala. The raids were carried out on five production companies, including Aashirvad Cinemas, which was allegedly owned by Antony Perumbavoor, said sources. As per sources, the alleged financial transactions of these companies from 2019 to 2022 were examined during initial proceedings. The latest notice to Perumbavoor is part of the department's follow-up investigations, they added. Meanwhile, L2: Empuraan recently underwent voluntary edits by its makers after facing backlash from right-wing supporters over its political and social themes. Actor-politician Suresh Gopi, during his address in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, dismissed the reports of censor pressure on the makers of Empuraan to remove 17 scenes from the movie amid the controversy. Gopi's name, which appeared in the film's credit under the "Special Thanks" category, has been removed in the re-edited version. Suresh Gopi said there was no pressure on makers of L2 Empuraan makers and it was the decision of the director, producers and actor to remove 17 portions from the film amid the ongoing controversy. "There was no censor pressure on the producers of Empuraan," said Gopi, adding, "I was the first person to call the producers and ask them to delete my name from the credit...the beginning of the film. This is the truth. I am ready to take any punishment if it is false." He added, "It was the decision of the producers and the lead actor of the film, with permission from the director of the film, to remove 17 portions from the film. It was their decision. So, what is this circus going on ....defaming the party (BJP)." L2: Empuraan, starring Mohanlal in the lead role, was directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and released in theatres on March 27. (ANI)
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