‘Janaki V Vs State of Kerala' movie review: Suresh Gopi-Anupama Parameswaran film is insensitive and pointless

The Hindu

17-07-2025

Nothing enlivens courtroom dramas than fiery arguments, which open new pathways into our understanding of a case. In Janaki V Vs State of Kerala, celebrated advocate David Abel Donovan (Suresh Gopi)'s arguments are full of fire. Still, a significant portion of them are so irrelevant that they would fit more in a loud television debate than in a courtroom. He is the kind of person who would talk about cheese when he is supposed to argue about chalk. So, it is no wonder that he would go on a long diatribe against the State's developmental projects when he is arguing in court in a case related to sexual assault, or that he would ask a rape victim whether she watches porn and how often.
The opening credit sequences of the film hint at this behaviour with news clippings of his various press statements on a host of issues, all of which reveal a lawyer who is more active outside the court than inside. Janaki V Vs State of Kerala, which arrives in theatres with an extra 'V' thanks to the diktats of the censors, is caught between the need to tell a sensitive story and projecting the superhero aura of the actor playing the advocate. Debutant director Praveen Narayanan, who has also written the film, struggles on both counts.
Janaki V Vs State of Kerala (Malayalam)
Director: Pravin Narayanan
Cast: Suresh Gopi, Anupama Parameswaran, Madhav Suresh, Askar Ali, Shruti Ramachandran, Divya Pillai
Runtime: 156 minutes
Storyline: An IT professional gets raped in her hometown, but the chain of events come under intense scrutiny in the courtroom
Janaki (Anupama Parameswaran), an IT professional in Bengaluru, becomes the victim of rape in her hometown when she is on vacation. In the courtroom exchanges that follow, the chain of events falls under intense scrutiny. Right from the early sequences, the filmmaker makes it clear that subtlety is not something he would strive. Everything comes with loud visual and audio cues, leaving no doubts in the minds of the audience.
The writing, as well as the filmmaking, harks back to the 1990s. The thinly veiled references to contemporary issues become a convenient writing option. However, when the film proclaims its pet original ideas, one wishes that it had stayed with the borrowed ones. One of these ideas, which forms the core of the film, regarding the paternity of a child born out of rape, is probably one of the most outlandish ideas heard in cinema in recent years. It, in a way, trivialises a serious issue, by turning it into an outright political weapon.
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Many of the arguments irrelevant to the case uttered by the advocate are also political, fitting in with the real-life persona of the actor. For a courtroom drama, there is hardly any scene that makes an impact. As if to excite the audience lulled by the sluggish drama, there is an unnecessary jump scare sequence, which seems inspired from a B-grade horror movie. Songs further drag down the narrative.
With its insensitive take on an important issue, Janaki V Vs State of Kerala becomes a film as pointless as the letter 'V', which was added to Janaki's name to satisfy the whims of the censors.
Janaki V Vs State of Kerala is currently running in theatres