Censor Board objection to Janaki v/s State of Kerala: Protagonist, named after Goddess Sita, questioned by man of another faith

Indian Express

3 days ago

Among the objections the Censor Board had to the Malayalam film Janaki v/s State of Kerala was that the protagonist Janaki, who was fighting for justice in a rape case, was cross-examined in court by a person of another faith, the Board's affidavit filed in the court shows.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had denied the film certification on the grounds that Janaki is also a name associated with Goddess Sita. This had prompted the producers of the Suresh Gopi-starrer to approach the High Court.
The counter-affidavit, submitted by CBFC CEO (Mumbai) Rajendra Singh, states, 'In the film, when the lead character, who is named after Goddess Sita/Janaki, is raped, she is aided by a man belonging to a particular religious community and is cross-examined and asked harrowing questions by a person belonging to another religious community. This religious dichotomy in the treatment of the character bearing Goddess Sita's sacred name has the potential to inflame communal tensions and create divisive narratives between religious groups. Given the profound reverence accorded to Goddess Sita across India, these religiously charged subplots would pose a severe threat to public order.'
The CBFC stated that a film with a tendency to disrupt public order should not be viewed through the lens of a person indifferent to religious sentiments. Instead, determination must be made from the perspective of 'an average moral man or an ordinary man of common sense and prudence.'
Again, referring to a cross-examination of the protagonist, the counter-affidavit said, 'Posing of such provocative questions to a character named after Goddess Sita will have the tendency to disrupt public order and offend religious sentiments… Goddess Sita is shown to be cross-examined by the defence counsel in a rather aggressive manner.'
On Wednesday, following a climbdown from both sides – the producers and the Censor Board – the logjam appeared to be resolved.
The film's producers told the court that they were ready to change the title to V Janaki v/s State of Kerala and mute the name Janaki in two instances during the movie. The CBFC told the court that it was ready to issue a screening certificate for the film if the producers agreed to change the title from Janaki to V Janaki.
The single-judge bench of Justice N Nagaresh, in an interim order, directed the producers to submit a revised version before the CBFC. The Board was asked to issue a certificate within three days.
The Bench of Justice Nagaresh, who viewed the movie last Saturday, will consider the matter on July 16. The movie, initially scheduled for release on June 27, has already been delayed, with producers now saying they are tentatively looking at a July 18 release date.