The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into businessman and film producer Gokulam Gopalan, questioning him for a second consecutive day on Saturday in connection with alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and money laundering involving over ₹1000 crores.
The raids, which began on April 4, targeted multiple premises associated with Gopalan’s business empire, including the Kodambakkam headquarters of Gokulam Chit Funds and Finance in Chennai, his residence in Neelankarai, and properties in Coimbatore and Kozhikode, Kerala. Gopalan, who was in Kozhikode at the time, was summoned to Chennai and interrogated until the early hours of Saturday. Sources confirmed that questioning would continue later in the day.
The ED concluded its search operations at the Kodambakkam office early Saturday morning, seizing approximately ₹1.5 crore in cash along with several incriminating financial documents, according to reports. Preliminary findings suggest that Gokulam Chits and Finance may have illegally received foreign remittances, including funds from Non-Resident Indians, in violation of FEMA provisions. Broader financial dealings of the Gokulam Group are also under scrutiny, with the ED’s Kochi unit—supported by its Chennai counterpart—leading the investigation.
The probe, which stems from a case registered in 2022, comes at a time when Gopalan’s latest production, L2: Empuraan, finds itself at the center of a political and cultural storm. The film, directed by communist propagandist Prithviraj Sukumaran and starring Mohanlal, has been accused of portraying national investigative agencies like the NIA, IB, and ED in a negative light, and misrepresenting sensitive events such as the Gujarat riots.
The RSS-affiliated weekly Organiser published a harsh critique of the film, triggering widespread backlash from Hindu groups and BJP leaders. In response to the growing outrage, the film’s producers approached the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to voluntarily re-edit the film. Mohanlal also issued a public apology, stating, “We sincerely regret the distress caused and have decided to remove the objectionable content.”
Despite the edits, the film continues to face rejection from sections of the Hindu community. BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, along with RSS leaders J. Nandakumar and A. Jayakumar, publicly criticized the film, with several pro-RSS digital platforms amplifying the call for a boycott.
CPI(M) leader and LDF convenor T.P. Ramakrishnan has claimed that the ED’s actions are politically motivated, linking the raids to the film’s controversial content. Speaking in Madurai, he described the enforcement action as an example of “political vendetta.”
As the ED’s investigation widens and political tensions mount, Empuraan remains a lightning rod in the ongoing debate over the interplay between cinema, ideology, and state power in India.
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