The Enforcement Directorate is conducting searches at premises of Gokulam Chit Fund, owned by Empuran movie producer Gokulam Gopalan, in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The searches are related to a Foreign Exchange Violation Act case. In the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the controversial Mullaperiyar Dam scene in Empuran was discussed, with Chief Minister Stalin confirming its removal after public outrage.
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00:00All right, breaking news coming in.
00:02In light of the massive controversy surrounding the Malayalam film Empuran, now you've got
00:08the enforcement directorate conducting searches at the premises of one of the producers of
00:14Empuran movie.
00:15This is the Gokulam Chit Fund in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, a very, very prominent group in
00:20the south.
00:21Gokulam Gopalan is one of the producers of Empuran movie and Gokulam Gopalan's group,
00:28which is the Gokulam Chit Funds, is currently being searched by the enforcement directorate.
00:34Is this linked to Empuran or is there some other investigation that the agency is currently
00:40conducting?
00:41At this point, we're yet to get those details, but searches right now happening at some of
00:46the Gokulam Chit Fund setups in Tamil Nadu as well as Kerala, multiple locations where
00:53raids are happening in the two states right now.
00:56Now Gokulam Chit Funds is owned by Gokulam Gopalan, he's one of the producers of the
01:01Empuran movie.
01:02Let me bring in Munish Pandey for more details on the story.
01:05Munish, are these raids linked to the fact that Gokulam is one of the producers of Empuran
01:11movie or is this his Chit Fund company that's being raided?
01:14Well, Akshita, at this point of time, we have enjoyed to understand is that the ED is conducting
01:20searches at multiple locations in connection with the Gokulam Chit Fund case in Tamil Nadu
01:26and the searches also in Kerala.
01:28Now, this is not a money laundering case, this is a case which has been lost by the
01:32ED under Foreign Exchange Violation Act and we have been given to understand is that E.M.
01:40Gopalan, who is popularly known as Gokulam Gopalan, he is the one who owns C. Gokulam
01:47Chit and that is why the premises linked to him are being searched not only in Tamil Nadu
01:54but also in Kerala, Telangana, Puducherry, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana.
02:05Now, we have been given to understand is that, you know, earlier the Income Tax Department
02:13had initiated an investigation couple of years back and in that time, the Income Tax Department
02:21passed on this information to the Enforcement Directorate saying that there are manipulations
02:27as far as funds are concerned, there are bad loans, bad debts and there is unaccounted
02:34money which is linked to this entire Chit Fund and that is why, you know, at this point
02:40of time, multiple locations are being searched, Akshita, as we speak.
02:47Thanks very much for joining us with those details, we will try to get the latest updates
02:52that come in on these E.D. searches that are currently taking place.
03:04The Emperon controversy has also come up for discussion in the Tamil Nadu assembly, particularly
03:12scenes showing the Mullaperiyar dam issue in the film.
03:17Now, this particular film, endless controversy, one scene on the Mullaperiyar dam issue was
03:25also there and that's now been brought up in the Tamil Nadu assembly.
03:30Now, Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan has spoken about this saying that the
03:37Mullaperiyar dam issue being portrayed in such a manner, they have objected to.
03:44Only after the news came out, only after there was some sort of opposition, did you see action?
04:07Initially, the censor did nothing.
04:11Only once the film was released, the news came out, there was outrage and then it was removed.
04:18So, Chief Minister Stalin confirming there essentially that yes, the scene has been cut out now.
04:23But in the original version, before the controversy itself, the scene that had a reference to
04:28the Mullaperiyar dam raised in fact a lot of anger in Tamil Nadu.
04:33Let's bring in Anagha Keshav for more details.
04:35Anagha, what really did this scene show on the Mullaperiyar dam?
04:39Was it skewered in favour of Kerala that's led to anger in Tamil Nadu?
04:47In fact, Rakshitha, there were some scenes in the older version of Empurad repeatedly
04:52where the villain spoke about planting explosives in the Mullaperiyar dam, subsequently plotting
04:58to lead to its collapse.
04:59Those were the kind of sensitive scenes that was allegedly portrayed in the unedited clip
05:05which led to widespread criticism in the state, so much so that this particular issue was
05:10also raised in Tamil Nadu's assembly with Chief Minister Stalin himself talking about it.
05:15He said that the film's edits were not done before the film's release.
05:19This was not done by the censor board.
05:21In fact, much later, after the film's release and after the opposition that came with it,
05:27that was when the edits were done.
05:28That was what in fact Chief Minister Stalin also said.
05:32In fact, Minister for Water Resources Durai Murugan also echoed similar concerns.
05:36In fact, Durai Murugan said that those particular scenes made him feel angry and fear at the same time.
05:43He said that these kind of scenes were completely unnecessary and if indeed these kind of scenes
05:48were portrayed, then they had to be removed from the clip is what Durai Murugan also said.
05:54Okay, so you've got clearly a statement coming in from the Tamil Nadu government
05:58over this entire controversy.
06:00Anagha, also at this point, the film as it is after the re-censorship,
06:04can you confirm for us this controversial Mullaperiyar scene has also been removed?
06:13Well, Akshitha, in fact we are hearing that scenes pertaining to Mullaperiyar dam have been edited.
06:19In fact, the sensitive bits where the parts where explosives were supposed to be planted,
06:24all these sensitive details have been removed from the film is what in fact
06:28Chief Minister Stalin has also confirmed in the assembly.
06:31And he says that after the film's edits, that was when we will allow the screening in Tamil Nadu.
06:36Now since those edits have been done, we have no issues with the screening of Empuran
06:40is what Chief Minister Stalin, Speaker Appavu and Durai Murugan also said on the floor of the assembly.