The investigation team found that the producers made the complainant believe that they invested ₹22 crore in the film as against the actual amount of ₹18.65 crore.
Police investigation report confirms financial fraud by 'Manjummel Boys' producers. (X)
The Malayalam movie Manjummel Boys made history in the industry by raking in a whopping ₹200 crore at the global box office.
Thanks to the reference to Kamal Hassan’s Guna (1991) and the superhit song “Kanmani Anbodu“, the film became a tremendous hit in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, too.
However, Manjummel Boys producers—Shawn Antony, Soubin Shahir, and Babu Shahir (who bankrolled the Malayalam film under the banner of Parava Film Company)—are making headlines for the wrong reasons.
In April, the Ernakulam Maradu police booked them for criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and forgery following a court order.
The court order came after Siraj, a resident of Aroor, filed a petition claiming that the Manjummel Boys producers committed financial fraud and cheated him by not repaying the amount he invested in the movie.
During the investigation, the cops found out that the makers did commit serious financial fraud.
The police report, which was submitted to the Kerala High Court, contained details about the investigation, statements from the complainant (Siraj), and bank documents.
After a detailed probe, the investigation team found that the producers were involved in financial fraud.
The investigation report also pointed out discrepancies in the film’s budget. It claimed that the producers made the complainant believe that they invested ₹22 crore in Manjummel Boys as against ₹18.65 crore.
In April, the Ernakulam Maradu police registered a case against Shawn Antony, Soubin Shahir, and Babu Shahir (the producers of Manjummel Boys) following an order from the Ernakulam First Class Magistrate Court.
In his petition, Siraj complained that Manjummel Boys producers (Shawn Antony, Soubin Shahir, and Babu Shahir) approached him seeking investment for their film. They promised him a 40 percent share in the profits after the theatrical release.
Following this, Siraj reportedly signed an agreement with Parava Film Company on 30 November 2022. He invested an amount of ₹7 crore in instalments.
The complainant also claimed that he was made to believe that the makers invested ₹22 crore in the flick.
Further, Siraj averred that the producers neither paid him the promised share in the profits nor repaid the amount he invested in the flick, which resulted in losses to the tune of ₹46 crore.
Siraj also alleged that Shawn Antony, Soubin Shahir, and Babu Shahir made him believe that they finished the first schedule of the film, while in reality, the shooting did not commence by that time.
Following this, the cops booked Manjummel Boys producers under criminal conspiracy, forgery, and breach of trust.
Meanwhile, the legal proceedings in the financial fraud case were hit after Babu Shahir, one of the producers of Manjummel Boys, sought recourse through the High Court. This resulted in a stay for a month.
Manjummel Boys was jointly produced by Parava Films and Sree Gokulam Movies. But the case has been filed against Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir and Shawn Antony, who are part of Parava Film Company.
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