BJP minister Suresh Gopi's Malayalam film faces censor board objection over use of name ‘Janaki'
The movie is set to be released 27 June. However, it landed in trouble when sent for the CBFC clearance.
Directed by Pravin Narayanan, 'Janaki Versus State of Kerala' revolves around the titular character, Janaki, essayed by actor Anupama Parameswaran, fighting for justice after a traumatic event. She is represented by another lead character played by actor-politician Suresh Gopi.
Thiruvananthapuram: A Suresh Gopi-starrer Malayalam movie showcasing a woman's legal battle against the Kerala government has landed in controversy after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) objected to the use of the name of Goddess Sita.
Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) general secretary B. Unnikrishnan said the Board asked the crew to change the name 'Janaki' as the character is undergoing a traumatic event in the movie.
'The story is about a woman battling against the State after she faced an atrocity. They say that a woman like that should not be named after the goddess Sita. We all know that it's strange. The CBFC has guidelines, and we all make movie content based on that. That guideline doesn't have any rules like this,' Unnikrishnan told the media on Sunday.
The film crew, he said, hasn't received an official show cause notice yet but was told clearly by the CBFC that 'Janaki' should be removed from the title as well as the character name.
'If they give us the names that we can use in guidelines, we will make movies like that. Where are we headed? If the characters are Hindus, then the chances are that it could be of a god/goddess. I am genuinely scared that my name would be banned tomorrow,' Unnikrishnan said, adding that the Malayalam film industry will strongly protest this.
ThePrint reached out to Union Minister and BJP MP Suresh Gopi, but he was unavailable for comment.
However, soon after the issue came to light, another Malayalam director M.B. Padmakumar said that he had faced the same issue last month.
Padmakumar said he was forced to change the character of the female lead's name from Janaki to Jayanthi, as the CBFC raised objections because the character was in a relationship with a Christian character named Abraham.
'I gave my movie titled 'Token Number' to the censor board on 22 May. The censor board asked me to change the name of Abraham to a Hindu name, but it was difficult to change the name because of his background. So, I decided to change the name Janaki,' Padmakumar said.
The actor-director also alleged that he got threatening calls from many non-cinema organisations when he approached them for help. Padmakumar said the film finally got the CBFC nod later on 7 June after he changed the name to Jayanthi.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: 'Bharat Mata' portrait pits LDF against Kerala Governor, again. 'Turning Raj Bhavan into party office'
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