The controversy over the Malayalam movie Janaki vs State of Kerala ended with the makers changing the title of their film after getting clearance from the Censor Board of Film Certification in India. With the new title 'Janaki V vs State of Kerala', the film has now been released in theatres in four languages: Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. But it was not easy for the makers to bring their film to the cinemas. Read further to know the entire case about the Malayalam film, written and directed by Pravin Narayanan, featuring Suresh Gopi and Anupama Parameswaran in lead roles.
What is the 'Janaki V vs State of Kerala' case?
The most objection was raised on naming the film 'Janaki', because this name is associated with the name of Goddess Sita. The censor board objected that it is inappropriate to use the name 'Janaki' for the character of a woman who faces sexual harassment. The matter reached the Kerala High Court regarding this issue.
The censor board's opinion changed in the court
During the hearing in the Kerala High Court last week, the lawyer appearing on behalf of the censor board said that the film was passed with only two changes. The first change was the title to make it clear that the name Janaki is not related to the Goddess but to the main character Janaki Vidyadharan.
The second change was related to the cross-examination scene going on in the courtroom, in which it was advised to mute the name of the heroine. On this, the court has sought a reply from the filmmakers and a further hearing was scheduled. Earlier this week, the changes were agreed upon by the makers and after the approval of the censor board, the film was scheduled to release on July 17.
It is significant to note that the CBFC had recommended 92 changes and cuts in the film, but after the hearing at the Kerala High Court, censor board agreed with just 2 changes in the film.
Regional disagreement of the censor board
In this entire controversy, it also came to light that while the Mumbai division objected to the film, the Kerala division passed the film without any changes. This makes it clear that the censorship rules are applied differently in different parts of the country, which is becoming a big challenge for filmmakers, especially the one's who eye a Pan India release. It is significant to note that the film, which was earlier scheduled to release on June 20, has now hit cinemas.
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