The Central Board of Film Certification has blocked the release of Union minister Suresh Gopi and Anupama Parameswaran’s Malayalam film, Janaki V/s State Of Kerala, reportedly due to objections over ‘Janaki’ in the title. Janaki is an alternative name of Goddess Sita.
The film was scheduled for release on 27th June but it will not be able to make it to the cinemas because of refusal of certificate. The courtroom drama centres around a character named Janaki. The story is about the legal battle of an assaulted woman. The CBFC stated to the producers that the name ‘Janaki’ cannot be used either in the title or for the character in the film. It is the CBFC’s contention that Goddess Sita’s name cannot be given to the woman character who suffered assault.
The Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) said, it would not hesitate to launch a protest against the CBFC’s decision. It may be mentioned here that the producers have not received any written information about the refusal of certification so far. FEFKA general secretary B. Unnikrishnan said, “Many Hindu names are derived from deities. Will they all face censorship problems?”
