The producers of Malayalam film Janaki V/s State Of Kerala agreed on July 9 to rephrase its title by adding the alphabet ‘V’ to the name, as suggested by the Central Board of Film Certification. They also agreed to mute/edit the word ‘Janaki’ in two scenes, thereby ending the legal battle over the film’s censorship.
The bench of Justice N. Nagaresh of the Kerala high court accordingly directed the petitioners, Cosmos Entertainments, to submit the modified version of the film for certification. The CBFC was instructed to issue a certificate to the film within three days of the submission.
The CBFC had informed the high court that permitting films like Janaki V/s State Of Kerala, in which the lead character is portrayed as a rape victim bearing the name of a revered deity like Goddess Sita/Janaki, raised concerns regarding public law and order. The CBFC made these remarks in a counter-affidavit filed as part of the legal battle related to the film. The CBFC’s affidavit stated that allowing such films to be publicly exhibited would set a dangerous precedent and open a Pandora’s box for future productions.
According to the CBFC’s affidavit, the lead character, Janaki, is shown to be sexually assaulted in the film and then being cross-examined in court, where she is subjected to humiliating questions. The CBFC argued that posing such provocative questions to a character bearing the revered deity’s name could disrupt public order and offend religious sentiments.
The CBFC emphasised that determination of whether a film tends to disrupt public order must be made from the perspective of an average moral person, and not through the lens of an individual completely indifferent to religious sentiments.