Malayalam superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal were questioned by income tax officials after their offices and residences were raided in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka yesterday.
According to reports, Mammootty, who returned from Chennai last night, was questioned by officials in Kochi for seven hours, till 3am this morning. The officials also recorded Mohanlal's statement in Rameshwaram, where he is shooting for a film.
Sources in the I-T Department say the actors may be summoned for further questioning in the coming days. There were simultaneous raids at 18 places in five cities. Tax officials say they are examining documents seized during the raid. The raids were conducted on the basis of a tip-off of I-T returns filed by the superstars. The I-T officials found their returns were not directly proportionate to their income.
The two superstars, who have dominated the Malayalam film industry for over three decades, have several business interests. Mammooty owns a distribution company called Playhouse Entertainment, and is also the chairman and major stakeholder of a Malayalam satellite channel. According to reports, he also has many business interests in the Middle East.
In a career spanning more than three decades, Mammootty has won the National Award thrice - Dr. Ambedkar (1988), Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, Mathilukal (1989) and Vidheyan, Ponthan Mada (1993) - and has acted in more than 360 films. He has also done a few Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films.
The I-T raids were also conducted in Kochi at Mohanlal's production and distribution company - Max Labs and Ashirwad house. Mohanlal has a film studio - Viesmaya Cinemax - which was also raided.
Mohanlal's business ventures include packaged spices and restaurants in Dubai, Bangalore and Kochi. The actor was reportedly planning to bid for an IPL team with director Priyadarshan.
His residence in Trivandrum where his mother lives was raided too. Mohanlal also owns some hotels in Bangalore and had recently bought a plush house in the world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai.
Mohanlal is regarded as one of the finest actors in Indian cinema and is a cultural icon in Kerala. He was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to Indian cinema. He has won four National Film Awards and one of his notable roles were in Mani Ratnam's Iruvar and Ram Gopal Varma's Company.
So far, both actors have refrained from speaking to the media.
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