Director Shamzu Zayba of Saiju Kurup's ‘Abhilasham’ arrested following producer’s complaint

Shamzu Zayba, the director of the Malayalam film ‘Abhilasham,’ was arrested by the Tripunithura Hill Palace police following a formal complaint lodged by the film's producer, Ann Sariga Antony. Ann, who is the managing partner of Second Show Productions, filed the complaint against six individuals associated with the film, including the director, the screenwriter, and the cinematographer. The charges invoked stem from violations of the Copyright Act and the Cinematography Act.

According to the complaint, the producer was initially promised that the movie would be completed on a budget of Rs 2.25 crore. However, due to what were deemed unnecessary expenses, the production costs ballooned to Rs 3.25 crore. In addition, the producer claimed to have suffered a total financial loss of Rs 4 crore, with a direct loss of Rs 97 lakh.

A significant part of the complaint was based on the director’s alleged unauthorised possession of the film's hard disk, which the producer claimed was taken without her knowledge. The producer filed the complaint on February 2, leading to Shamzu Zayab's arrest on February 17.

Further details from the complaint revealed that the producer had raised multiple grievances before the Producers' Association, with at least 10 complaints against the individuals named in the report. One notable complaint involved the director and the technicians failing to return a car that had been lent to them during the making of the film. Additionally, the producer accused the team of conducting a ‘fake success celebration’ for the film without her consent or knowledge.

Despite the Producers’ Association expressing willingness to mediate, the producer opted to pursue legal action. Meanwhile, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala voiced their concerns about the arrest, criticising the police for making a hasty decision. They also alleged that the director was detained at the police station without being produced before the magistrate for a long time.