Tamil actor Vijay was questioned by Income Tax officials in the state’s Cuddalore district on Wednesday in connection with alleged tax evasion by the AGS Cinemas company, ANI reported. The company had produced Vijay’s last film Bigil.
Officials from the tax department are searching more than 20 locations associated with the AGS Group, which includes AGS Cinemas and AGS Entertainment, according to The NewsMinute. Properties connected to movie financier Anbu Chezhiyan were also searched.
Vijay was reportedly questioned about the fees he charged for the movie, and the profits it garnered. The actor was issued summons while he was shooting for his upcoming movie Master. The questioning is expected to continue at his residence in Chennai on Wednesday evening.
This is not the first Vijay movie to run into a controversy. In 2017, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tamil Nadu unit had asked for some scenes from Mersal to be removed as they were seen as being critical of the Goods and Services Tax and the Digital India initiative. The party accused Vijay of spreading false information because of political ambitions.
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