Actor and producer Soubin Shahir was arrested by the Maradu Police in Kochi in connection with the Manjummel Boys financial fraud case. Co-producers Babu Shahir and Shaun Antony were also taken into custody. The arrests followed two days of questioning. As the Kerala High Court had already granted anticipatory bail, all three were released soon after.
The case was filed by Siraj Valiyathura, a resident of Aroor, who alleged that the trio collected seven crore rupees from him over different phases, promising a 40 percent share in profits. However, he claims no profit share was provided, which led to accusations of financial fraud and breach of trust.
Soubin, while speaking to the media after appearing before police, stated that the full investment was already returned and the profit share amount had been set aside. He said the complaint was filed just when the disbursal was about to be made.
According to police reports, the investors were allegedly misled into believing that the film’s first schedule had been completed even before shooting began. The producers had approached the High Court seeking to quash the case, but the plea was rejected and the investigation was allowed to continue.
The producers, in their response, claimed that the investor failed to release the committed amount on time, which affected the production schedule and caused delays and losses. They stated this was the reason for the postponed profit payout.
Manjummel Boys, directed by Chidambaram, became one of the most successful Malayalam films ever, grossing over 240 crore rupees worldwide. It performed strongly in Tamil Nadu and had a decent run in the Telugu states despite a delayed release.
The film was jointly produced by Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir, and Shaun Antony, with Soubin also playing a lead role. While the film’s box office success is undisputed, the ongoing legal proceedings have brought the core production team into the spotlight.
On the work front, Soubin is expanding into other industries and is playing a key role in Lokesh Kanagaraj and Rajinikanth’s upcoming film Coolie, which is set for release on August 14.
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