Prithviraj Sukumaran was issued a notice by the Income Tax Department seeking clarifications on his earnings from three films released in 2022 — Jana Gana Mana, Gold, and Kaduva. The notice, served on March 29, comes just days after the release of his controversial film L2: Empuraan, starring Malayalam superstar Mohanlal. The actor-director has been asked to provide an explanation by April 29.
Reacting to the notice, Prithviraj’s mother, veteran actor Mallika Sukumaran and told Mathrubhumi News, “My son has done nothing wrong. We are not afraid of any investigation.” In 2022, the IT Department had also searched Prithviraj’s house and office over discrepancies in his tax filings.
Prithviraj’s L2: Empuraan stirred controversy following its release on March 27 due to references to the 2002 Gujarat riotswhich sparked backlash from the audience. The film was also slammed by the RSS and several BJP party workers. As a result, 24 cuts were made to the film, with 2 minutes and 8 seconds of footage removed.
Despite the controversy, L2: Empuraan emerged as the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. It is the second installment in a planned trilogy, following Prithviraj’s directorial debut, Lucifer.
Amid the controversy, Mohanlal apologised to people for any ‘distress’. He wrote on Facebook, “I know that some of the political and social themes that have been introduced in the making of the film Empuraan, the second part of the Lucifer franchise, have caused great distress to many of my loved ones,” his statement read.
He further wrote, “As an artist, it is my duty to ensure that none of my films are hostile to any political movement, ideology or religious sect. Therefore, I and the Empuraan team are sincerely sorry for the distress caused to my loved ones, and with the realisation that the responsibility for it lies with all of us who worked on the film. We have decided together to remove such themes from the film.”
