The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently carried out multi-state raids at locations linked to prominent businessman and film producer Gokulam Gopalan who recently came out with the controversial film Empuraan, as part of an investigation into foreign exchange violations amounting to over ₹1,000 crore. The raids were conducted under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and also involve scrutiny under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The Kerala wing of the ED launched the search operation on Friday across Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Five premises were covered in the raids, including the Kodambakkam office of Sree Gokulam Chit and Finance in Chennai, Gopalan’s farmhouse in Neelankarai, his residence, corporate office in Kozhikode, and the Gokulam Mall. According to sources, around ₹1.5 crore in cash and several financial documents were seized during the operations.
The ED charges that Gopalan and his firm, Sree Gokulam Chit and Finance Co Ltd, could have received foreign remittances, including money from Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), without due authorization amounting to a breach of FEMA norms. Further, instances of purported cheating and forgery involving the PMLA are also being looked into as a part of a broader investigation ordered by Kochi-based agency in 2022. Gokulam Gopalan was first interrogated at his Kozhikode office and then called to Chennai, where he was subjected to a seven hour grilling on his companies’ financial transactions.
The raids come just days after the release of L2: Empuraan, a Malayalam film co-produced by Gokulam Gopalan. The Movie L2: Empuraan was recently released and had drawn irks from the Hindu community due to the blatant Hinduphobia showcased in the plot. The film references the 2002 Gujarat Riots, deliberately portraying Hindus as bloodthirsty villains while presenting Muslims as helpless victims. Shockingly, Empuraan exaggerates the happening of the Gujarat Riots and pours down the entire blame of the Gujarat Riots upon the Hindu community without showcasing the Godhra Train Burning that led to the massacre of 59 Hindus including women and children in the hands of Islamists that led to the riots. After facing massive backlash for its negative portrayal of the Hindu community, ‘Empuraan’ filmmakers made 24 cuts in the film including changing the name of the antagonist from Bajrangi to Baldev.
