After Vishal, Samuthirakani reveals bribing government officials for 'tax-free certificate'

Actor-produce Vishal dropped an explosive revelation recently by levelling charges of bribery against the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). He noted that he paid more than Rs 6 lakh in bribes to get clearance from the board to release his the Hindi version of his latest movie Mark Antony in cinemas. 

However, it seems the issue of such corruption is not just limited to the CBFC. Actor-director Samuthirakani has shed light on the challenges faced by the filmmakers in Tamil Nadu. 

ALSO READ: Mark Antony actor Vishal alleges corruption at CBFC, drops a video

Samuthirakani was asked to give his comments on the allegations made by Vishal. He noted that so far he had not paid any bribary to the CBFC to clear his movies. He has directed 15 movies and produced five other movies. However, he revealed he has greased the palms of the local officials to secure documents that would allow his movies to get tax benefits. 

"I paid a bribe to get tax-free for my Appa movie. I felt very sad at the time," he revealed. "I produced the movie with my hard-earned money and secured a tax-free certificate by paying a bribe."

Samuthirakani's thriving career

Samuthirakani refrained from sharing further details of the allegations. He wrote, directed and produced the social drama Appa, which came out in 2016. He also played the lead role in the movie. 

ALSO READ: CBFC reacts to Vishal’s corruption claims: Accusations bring a bad name to the board 

Samuthirakani is one of the most sought-after character actors across South Indian states. Besides Tamil, he has also become a force to reckon with in the Telugu film industry. In addition to playing key roles in Telugu blockbusters, he has also directed a few movies with big stars in the lead. 

Earlier this year, he made Bro in Telugu, which was the remake of Vinodhaya Sitham. The movie starred Telugu superstar Pawan Kayan in a key role. 

He is now waiting for the release of Are You Ok Baby?. In the meantime, he is also part of Kamal Haasan's Indian 2 and Ram Charan's Game Changers, which are both directed by Shankar.