Actor Vijay Deverakonda was recently questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the funding of his last release ‘Liger’. The update comes two weeks after filmmaker Puri Jagannadh and producer Charmee Kaur were also questioned about the funding for the film. ED summoned Vijay to know about the identity of the financiers following reports that money used to fund the film came from a foreign source, a clear violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) of 1999.
Speaking to the press after the meeting, the actor said he went and met the officials because it was his duty. Vijay said, “With great popularity comes challenges and there’s nothing you can do about it. But I see this as an experience. I did my duty when they called. I went and answered their questions.” He confirmed he was questioned for 12 hours but didn’t say if he has been called again.
‘Liger’ also starred Ananya Panday, Ramya Krishnan and Ronit Roy. It was promoted aggressively as a pan-Indian film, especially after Karan Johar came on board to release the Hindi version. However, the film opened to a largely middling response from the audiences with most calling the film ‘formulaic’ and ‘wasted opportunity’ for Vijay who spent three years on the project.
On the work front, Vijay will be seen alongside Samantha Ruth Prabhu in an upcoming romantic drama film ‘Khusi’. The film is all set to hit the theatres on December 23. Vijay debuted with the 2011 Telugu film ‘Nuvvila’. He shot to nationwide fame with 2017 blockbuster ‘Arjun Reddy’.
