Malayalam cinema’s golden boy, Prithviraj Sukumaran, finds himself in the spotlight — and this time, it’s not just for his cinematic brilliance.
The ‘Lucifer’ director and ‘Empuraan’ star has received a notice from the Income Tax Department, raising eyebrows and stirring up conversations across the industry.
The timing? Intriguing, to say the least.
Just two days after his much-anticipated film ‘Empuraan’ hit theatres on March 27, the tax authorities sent him a formal notice dated March 29. The deadline for his response? April 29.
The IT department is reportedly scrutinising his earnings and financial records for three of his 2022 films — ‘Jana Gana Mana’, ‘Kaduva’, and ‘Gold’.
Prithviraj Sukumaran not only acted in these films but also donned the hat of co-producer, which likely added more layers to the financial investigation.
What triggered this renewed focus? According to officials, this isn’t a random development — it’s part of a longer probe that began back in 2022, following raids on certain film industry players. Authorities now claim they’ve spotted some mismatches in how Prithviraj’s remuneration was reported. Naturally, the buzz exploded as soon as the news surfaced.
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But the drama doesn’t end there.
‘Empuraan’, the sequel to Prithviraj’s 2019 directorial blockbuster ‘Lucifer’, has already been under political scrutiny, with the RSS mouthpiece expressing disapproval. While critics and fans argue over the film’s content and themes, the notice from the tax department has only intensified the chatter.
Adding more fuel to the fire, the film’s co-producer, Gokulam Gopalan, is also under the radar — but this time, it’s the Enforcement Directorate (ED) doing the probing.
Gopalan’s homes and offices in Chennai and Kozhikode recently faced raids. Though officials maintain these actions have no direct link to ‘Empuraan’, the timing has sparked endless speculation.
Amidst the swirl of controversy, Prithviraj has chosen silence — at least for now. He hasn’t made any public comments or statements, preferring instead to maintain a low profile. But his family isn’t staying as quiet.
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Veteran actress and his mother, Mallika Sukumaran, came forward in support of her son, saying firmly that he has done nothing wrong and will respond to the notice through the proper legal channels.
For those unfamiliar with Prithviraj’s journey, his story reads like a script out of a movie. The son of late Malayalam superstar Sukumaran, Prithviraj was never really meant to be an actor — he was studying for an MBA in Australia when fate intervened. A vacation back home led to his big-screen debut in ‘Nandanam’ (2002), and there’s been no looking back since.
By 2006, with the blockbuster ‘Classmates’ and a Kerala State Award for ‘Vaasthavam’, Prithviraj had firmly planted his flag. Over the next decade, he transitioned into production, and in 2019, turned director with ‘Lucifer’, which starred Mohanlal and went on to become one of Malayalam cinema’s highest-grossing films.
‘Empuraan’, the much-hyped second installment, was supposed to be the next big chapter in his creative saga. But with tax investigations now taking center stage, the narrative has taken an unexpected detour.