Manjummel Boys actor-producer Soubin Shahir arrested on financial fraud charges, released on bail

Indian Express

5 days ago

Actor-producer Soubin Shahir has been arrested in the financial fraud case in connection with the film Manjummel Boys. His father Babu Shahir and his associate Shawn Antony were previously summoned for questioning, as per The Week, and were later arrested. The three of them were released on bail, which they got in anticipation from the High Court.
Soubin Shahir's production house Parava Films has been under investigation ever since they were accused of embezzling Rs 7 crore. The police has claimed that a proper investigation must be held to account for the funds of the film. The police has also accused Soubin that he had pre-planned the fraud, even before the filming began.
The accusations were first raised by Siraj Valiyaveettil as he claimed that he invested Rs 7 crore in Manjummel Boys. He claimed that he was informed that the film's total budget would be Rs 22 crore. He later got to know that the film was made within Rs 18.65 crore. He alleged that he did not receive the 40 percent profit that he was promised.
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In 2024, the Income Tax Department conducted raids at Soubin Shahir's office after allegations that he had not filed his tax returns and concealed financial documents.
As per Sacnilk, Manjummel made Rs 140 crore in India, and collected Rs 240 crore worldwide. The film was declared a hit and received a lot of praise from the audience. Until the release of L2: Empuraan, it remained the biggest hit of Malayalam cinema.
Written and directed by Chidambaram, Manjummel Boys was based on an incident that took place at Guna Caves in 2006 when a man got stuck inside the cave, and his friends helped in his rescue operation. The film was applauded for its message of hope and resilience.