The Kochi City Police arrested Shamzu Zayba, also known as Shamsudeen, the director of the film Abhilasham, following a complaint by the film’s producer, Ann Sariga Antony.
The complaint stated that the producer suffered financial losses totaling Rs 4 crore due to alleged mismanagement and fraud by the director and other project associates. Zayba reportedly assured that the film could be completed within a budget of Rs 2.25 crore, but delays allegedly increased expenses to Rs 3.25 crore. Additionally, hard disks containing the film’s final work were allegedly misused, and the master print was taken by the director without the producer’s consent.
Tripunithura police registered a case under charges of criminal breach of trust, cheating, criminal intimidation, and relevant sections of the Copyright Act 1957 (Amendment 2012). Other accused include crew members Mohammed Bilal, Mohammed Salman, Bilal Rasheed, Nimal Naseer, and the distribution company Qube Cinema Technologies.
A senior police officer stated, “The investigation is in the initial phase. The individual would be interrogated further to understand the merits of the case.”
Abhilasham, which features Saiju Kurup and Tanvi Ram in lead roles, was released on an OTT platform. The producer claims a direct financial loss of Rs 97 lakh and anticipated business loss of Rs 2 crore, totaling around Rs 4 crore in alleged damages.
