Financial fraud plaint false, says director Shamzu Zayba

Kochi: Film director Shamzu Zayba, also known as Shamsudeen, who was arrested on Wednesday, said that the complaint of financial fraud against him was false. Zayba was addressing reporters after gaining bail in the case late on Wednesday night. Zayba, who directed the film Abhilasham, was taken into custody by Hill Palace police in Tripunithura. Zayba said he believed that the police were under pressure to arrest him even before he got anticipatory bail. He said he completed all his responsibilities as a director and he was yet to be paid his full remuneration for the 2025 film. He also alleged that nearly 15 technicians did not receive their payment. The arrest followed a complaint filed by the film's producer Ann Sariga Antony, a native of Tripunithura from ‘Second Show Productions', who alleged that she suffered losses amounting to Rs 4 crore due to the actions of the director and others associated with the project. According to the FIR, the director assured the producer that the film could be completed within a budget of Rs 2.25 crore. However, the complainant alleged that the production was deliberately delayed, leading to an expenditure of Rs 3.25 crore. FIR further stated that hard disks containing the film's final work were allegedly misused, and the completed master print was taken into the director's possession, with the assistance of others, without the producer's consent. Meanwhile, the district court on Thursday pulled up the police for the hasty arrest.