Industry sources said the release of the Suresh Gopi-starrer Malayalam movie JSK-Janaki vs. State of Kerala has hit a hurdle. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) reportedly denied it screening permission over the name of the title character. The Pravin Narayanan-directed movie, with Union Minister Suresh Gopi and Anupama Parameswaran in lead roles, reportedly revolves around the legal battle of an assaulted woman named Janaki against the state.
CBFC asks makers to change title of Suresh Gopi’s filmÂ
According to sources, the film was reportedly denied screening clearance, citing that Janaki, an alternative name of Goddess Sita, cannot be used for such a character. Pravin, in a Facebook post, confirmed on Saturday that the Censor Board has denied screening permission for the movie. He said in the post, without elaborating, that there would be no release on 27 June.
FEFKA claims makers were informed beforehand
Meanwhile, noted director B Unnikrishnan, the general secretary of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), on Sunday told reporters that the makers of the JSK were clearly informed by the CBFC that the name Janaki cannot be used in the movie.
“They have not received any written information in this regard. A show-cause notice is yet to be received. They expect to get it by Monday,” he told reporters in Kochi. The CBFC clearly stated to the film’s crew that the name Sita cannot be used either in the title or for the character in the movie, Unnikrishnan said.
“The story is about the legal fight carried out by an assaulted woman against the state. It is said (by the Board) that Goddess Sita’s name cannot be given to the woman character who suffered assault,” he said.
Another filmmaker faced similar issue
He said another Malayalam filmmaker recently faced a similar issue over the name of a character called Janaki in his movie, and he was forced to change it to Jayanthi to get Censor Board certification. Terming the Board’s action as “strange”, the FEFKA secretary asked where the country is heading. He said filmmakers are even denied the freedom to give the characters in their films the names of their choice.
The director also said that in this circumstance, it would be tough to choose a name for characters belonging to the Hindu religion, as the majority of them would be epithets of Gods or Goddesses. Union Minister Suresh Gopi and the makers of the film were immediately not available for a comment.
