Ramayana producer Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus office searched by Income Tax Department: Report

Amid the ongoing buzz surrounding the highly anticipated release of Ramayana, the latest development is that the Income Tax Department has reportedly carried out searches at the Mumbai offices of Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Ltd on Wednesday.

The film producer heads Prime Focus, the media and entertainment company backing Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part adaptation of the Ramayana. It is claimed that the searches are connected to foreign remittances, although authorities have not disclosed details about the inquiry.

Also Read: Did a big-budget Ramayana film hurt Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha? Producer reveals

What's the matter?

As per CNBC-TV18, the Income Tax Department’s search is linked to overseas transfer of funds. Searches were also reportedly conducted at other locations associated with Malhotra, including his residence.

At the moment, there is no detailed official statement explaining the transactions being examined. The investigation is reportedly focused on financial records and documents.

The update comes after recent Income Tax searches involving other members of the film industry.

Also Read: Ramayana: Rise of a Legend- Nitesh Tiwari, Ranbir Kapoor's epic gets official title

Prime Focus plays an important role for Ramayana

Prime Focus is a major global media and entertainment services company that mostly focuses on visual effects, animation, post-production and content creation.

Its visual-effects arm DNEG, has a key role in Ramayana, working on the film’s extensive VFX requirements.

The company was founded by Namit Malhotra in the 1990s, who is a film producer and visual-effects entrepreneur. The company eventually expanded into international markets and became a major name in the global VFX and post-production industry.

Also Read: Ramayana Part 1 new release date revealed: Ranbir Kapoor's epic set for simultaneous global debut?

Also Read: New Ramayana part 1 poster: Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Ravie Dubey exude calmness

About Ramayana

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, and Ravi Dubey as Lakshman.

The film will be released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam in India.

The cast also features Arun Govil as King Dashrath, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Rakul Preet Singh as Shurpanakha, along with actors including Vivek Oberoi, Kunal Kapoor, Shobana, Saurabh Sachdeva, Faisal Malik, Indira Krishnan and Adinath Kothare in key roles.

Produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios in association with DNEG and Yash's Monster Mind Creations, the music is created by Hans Zimmer and AR Rahman.

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend will arrive in cinemas this Diwali; meanwhile, the second instalment is planned for 2027.