As the Income Tax department continues to unearth stinging evidence against Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee Pannu and co. during the ongoing raids at properties linked to Kashyap and Pannu, the Bollywood stars are looking at real jail terms considering the evidence found by the I-T department and no amount of support from the opposition parties or the cries of political vendetta can prevent the inevitable.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and actress Taapsee Pannu find themselves in deep trouble in connection with Phantom Films tax evasion probe, as the I-T department found income discrepancies worth Rs. 650 crores during the raid.
Phantom Films, which is a production house, was founded in 2011 by Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, producer Madhu Mantena, and Vikas Bahl. While the firm was dissolved in 2018 post the exit of Kashyap, Bahl and Motwane, Mantena and Reliance Entertainment have created a joint venture earlier this year to keep the firm afloat.
The federal agency has found “huge” suppression of income by Phantom Films with the company officials unable to explain the discrepancy of around Rs. 300 crore. Furthermore, evidence related to manipulation and under-valuation of share transactions among film directors and shareholders have been unearthed during the ongoing raids.
Whereas, Kashyap’s close friend, Taapsee Pannu has seen evidence of cash receipts worth Rs. 5 crores being recovered from her.
Pannu and Kashyap who are currently stationed at Pune for a film shoot, have not been allowed to leave their respective hotel rooms as the federal agency continues to question them. While Pannu’s case is different from that of the one against Phantom Films and Anurag Kashyap, however, the I-T department statement stated that there was evidence of ‘huge suppression of income’.
It is pertinent to note that back in 2013, Kashyap found himself in a soup after his bank accounts were sealed following legal issues with the service tax department. While Congress scion Rahul Gandhi is currently criticising the I-T raids at the properties of Kashyap and Pannu, the fact that Kashyap was charged for tax evasion during the UPA tenure proves that its no case of political vendetta.
Ever since the advent of the Modi government, Kashyap and Pannu have taken the first opportunity available to lambast the Modi government and stooped to a new low when they collaborated to slander the image of Sushant Singh Rajput post his tragic demise.
Perhaps, Kashyap and Pannu seemingly aware of their wrongdoings sided with the opposition parties to ensure that the skeletons in their closet aren’t exposed. However, things have turned sour quickly for the filmmaker and the actress as they find themselves in deep trouble.