The Madras High Court has rejected actor Vijay’s plea that challenged a Rs 1.5 crore penalty imposed on him by the Income Tax Department. With a case that dates back to 2015, the actor-turned-politician allegedly had an undisclosed income of Rs 15 crore. This comes amid the controversial delayed release of his film, Jana Nayagan, stuck in a legal battle with the censor board.

Earlier, the Madras High Court had reserved its order on the actor’s challenge after a hearing on January 23. As per the complaint, the Jana Nayagan actor had Rs 15 crore worth of undisclosed income in the financial year 2015-16. However, the court, presided over by a single judge, Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy gave the liberty to the actor to challenge this order before the appellate tribunal.

Vijay’s alleged undisclosed income

The Income Tax Department red-flagged Vijay’s undisclosed income in September 2015. Officials visited his residence and associated the large sum with an all-cash deal for the payments received for the film, Puli. This led to the issuance of an assessment order in 2018. Battling the legal drama, Vijay then challenged it before the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals).

Puli, an overall poorly rated film on IMDb, featured Shruti Haasan and Sridevi in key roles. While there are no verified sources that reveal Vijay’s paycheck, reports suggest that today, he charges as high as $24 million for his most recent project, ‘The Greatest of All Time’.

Producer PT Selvakumar opened up about the challenges he faced during the film, which faced similar hurdles as Jana Nayagan, today. Negative reviews poured in and trashed the film, which led him to distance himself from Vijay, briefly. He shared that the actor was paid Rs 25 crore, and was later signed by producer Thanu with a Rs 45 crore price tag, as per a TOI report.

Today, Thalapathy Vijay has an estimated net worth of Rs 700 crore and is one of the richest actors in the Indian film industry. This rejection comes after a month-long struggle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), rallying against the release of his swansong. Reportedly made with a budget of Rs 500 crore, millions of Vijay fans were eagerly awaiting this release.