Double trouble

Tax inspectors raid the homes of Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif.

MUMBAI: Indian income tax officials said on Monday that two of Bollywood’s most bankable female stars are under investigation for suspected tax evasion.

Income Tax (IT) sleuths sealed around a dozen lockers and seized incriminating documents after raids on the residences and offices of Bollywood personalities Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif. The home and office of photographer Atul Kasbekar was also searched.

The IT department was investigating whether the celebrities had paid taxes proportionate to the known income earned by them during the past year and more from various sources.

Income tax department director-general DP Gaur told AFP that the residences and offices of Chopra and Kaif were “being searched and whatever materials are procured will be recorded for further action”.

Gaur declined to say why the probe had been launched into the financial dealings of the actors. “We don’t discuss these things but all I can say is that raids are on,” said Gaur, who heads tax investigations in India’s financial and entertainment hub, Mumbai.

According to official sources IT officers also raided Chopra’s business manager Chand Mishra’s office and Kasbekar’s companies, a celebrity management outfit Bling Entertainment Solutions and Matrix, a talent hunt company, were also searched

The IT action, in which around 70 officers and supervisors were involved, started around 7:30 am simultaneously at 12 sites including the residences and offices of the two actors in the western suburbs. Also raided were the homes of their secretaries, their respective office premises and other locations during the day long operations, the sources said.

Both Kaif and Chopra are ranked in the top rungs in Bollywood working with the top stars and the leading film banners, besides endorsing top brands and participating in the major stage shows in India and abroad.  Similarly, Kasbekar is a lead fashion, glamour and celebrity photographer in the entertainment world, securing top shooting assignments in India and abroad

There was no immediate comment from publicists for either actor and despite repeated attempts Kasbekar did not respond to phone calls or text messages.

Chopra, 28, is a former Miss World who like many Indian models turned to acting. She has starred in a number of high profile films including Fashion, Dostana and Kaminey and also endorses a number of products.

Kaif, 26, is also a former model and her first major hit was the 2007 film Namastey London. She also starred in Singh is Kinng, New York, Blue and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. Kaif has become the talk of the town for her item number in her latest film Tees Maar Khan in which she co-starred opposite Akshay Kumar.

Weekly news magazine India Today claimed in its latest issue that Kaif earns INR30 million ($670,000) per film and INR25 million a year for product endorsements.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2011.