Latest news with #CensorBoard
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Censor board revision committee upholds its decision on title change in Suresh Gopi's ‘Janaki Vs State of Kerala'
The Suresh Gopi-starrer 'Janaki Vs State of Kerala', directed by Pravin Narayanan, has hit another roadblock just days before its scheduled release on June 27. The revision committee of the Censor Board has upheld the board's earlier decision, insisting on changing the name of the film's title character. The committee screened the film in Mumbai on Thursday and supported the board's demand to alter the name of the titular character, played by Anupama Parameswaran. The filmmakers have expressed their inability to comply, stating that the character's name is mentioned over 90 times throughout the film, making it practically impossible to change at this stage. They also said they are yet to receive a clear explanation for the Censor Board's insistence on the name change. In response, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) has announced plans to stage a protest in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday against the board's decision. FEFKA has also called upon other film industry bodies to support the protest and is scheduled to hold a press conference in Kochi on Friday to further address the issue. The controversy has now cast uncertainty over the release of the film.
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
‘Janaki Vs State of Kerala' denied clearance again; censor board demands name change
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) The release of 'Janaki Vs State of Kerala', which stars Suresh Gopi and Anupama Parameswaran in the lead, has been thrown into uncertainty yet again. Just a day ahead of its scheduled release on June 27, the film has failed to secure clearance from the Censor Board's revision committee. According to On Manorama, the committee, which viewed the film in Mumbai on Thursday, upheld an earlier directive from the Board, insisting that the name of the titular character "Janaki" be changed. The revision committee's decision has stunned the film's creators, who were optimistic about the movie's release after receiving clearance from the regional panel in Kerala. Director Pravin Narayanan took to Facebook to share the latest setback, revealing that the Censor Board remains adamant despite the Kerala panel having approved the film. The director's post read, 'റിവൈസ് കമ്മിറ്റിയിൽ ജാനകിക്ക് വെട്ട്, ജാനകിയുടെ പെരുമാറ്റാൻ ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ട് റിവൈസ് കമ്മിറ്റി. ' Filmmakers say name change not possible According to the film's team, changing the character's name at this stage is not feasible. 'The name 'Janaki' is spoken more than 90 times throughout the movie. Altering it would compromise the film's integrity,' the makers said in a statement. What's causing further frustration is the lack of clarity from the Board—they have yet to specify why the name 'Janaki' is considered problematic. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Adidas Three Shorts With 60% Discount, Limited Stock Available Original Adidas Shop Now Undo Janaki vs State Of Kerala - Official Teaser The film tells the story of a woman, played by Anupama Parameshwaran, who challenges the state in a courtroom drama. Suresh Gopi, returning to a powerful role, adds weight to the legal thriller that has now become the centre of a censorship controversy. Industry bodies gear up for protest The film industry has begun rallying behind the team. The Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) announced plans to protest against the Censor Board's decision. A demonstration is being organized in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, and FEFKA has also called on other film associations to show solidarity. A press conference will be held in Kochi on Friday (June 27) to address the issue publicly and lay out the path forward. As of now, 'Janaki Vs State of Kerala' remains uncertified, and its release has been put on hold indefinitely.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Censor Board discontinues full access to cuts on website
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) this month made a key change to a portal it uses to publish 'cut lists' of films, making it harder to routinely review the censorship it imposes on films. The e-Cinepramaan portal, used by studios to submit paperwork for films, and make fee payments for getting their films certified and age-rated, has since 2017 hosted cut lists that the public can review. These cut lists are not searchable on the Censor Board's main website. The QR code on CBFC certificates points to the film's corresponding e-Cinepramaan page, verifying that the certificate is valid, and providing a list of cuts enforced by the censor board. Since the web addresses of these pages ended with an 18-digit number that could be altered slightly to routinely view newer details of certificates in the order they were issued, it has been possible to have near-total visibility into the cuts demanded by the censors. For instance, The Hindu reported on the cuts imposed on the Pariyerum Perumal remake Dhadak 2 last month with the help of a code snippet that retrieved the latest films certified by the CBFC. Anti-caste references and political dialogues were muted in the film. The CBFC has increasingly acted to excise political and religious content and symbolism from films. However, in the end of May, the portal went into 'maintenance', and as of this month, the CBFC has replaced that 18-digit identifier with a token, a string of alphanumeric characters that cannot be meaningfully modified to yield any other certificate. The change appears to be retrospective, essentially breaking existing QR codes on certificates issued in the last eight years. CBFC certificates are required for any film to be exhibited theatrically, and following a series of court judgments, television channels require one for films too (though TV series do not go through government censors). The Censor Board's chairperson, filmmaker and advertising executive Prasoon Joshi, did not respond to a query by The Hindu on the change made to the site, and neither did the administrative head of the autonomous body. Director Anurag Kashyap told The Hindu that in addition to the recent developments at the Censor Board, the site making it harder to access cut lists was 'also scary'. 'It's more [focused on] taking information from the person tracking it than giving information, which should anyways be public,' Mr. Kashyap said. Aman Bhargava, a Bengaluru-based developer and researcher, has led a team of volunteers since December 2024 to retrieve these censorship records and make a slick, interactive website rich with details of over 100,000 individual cuts made to around 20,000 films in the last seven years. Mr. Bhargava shared a working copy of the website, which he was planning on publicly launching in the middle of this month. But then in May, the site went into maintenance, working on the key change that would leave Mr. Bhargava, and others, unable to retrieve this cut data. 'We did work on cleaning descriptions' of cuts, 'extracting metadata, and allowing others to run a pipeline on their own' into the data collected for the project, Mr. Bhargava said. Now, it doesn't look like this project will be able to continue actively. Mr. Bhargava said he was 'disappointed' by the development. 'There was a lot of effort put into this. I think people would have been interested in it. But I guess if this is how things are, we can publish whatever we have.' The Cinematograph Act, 1952 requires the CBFC to publish certificates it issues to films in the Gazette of India. The CBFC does not do so, it confirmed in an RTI response to The Hindu in May, instead making certificate details available in an unindexed fashion on the e-Cinepramaan portal. The CBFC did not comment on its compliance with this mandate. CBFC cut lists remain available upon scanning certificates that are provided to multiplexes and cinemas. However, not all certified films end up releasing, and there are nine offices of the CBFC certifying thousands of films, and as such, the scope of films whose cuts can be disclosed publicly has mostly narrowed to theatrically released films already in the cinemas.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Kunal Kamra Reviews Censor-Stuck Film Punjab 95, Says "They Don't Want Us To Remember A Hero Who Wears A Turban"
Comedian Kunal Kamra says he recently watched Honey Trehan's Punjab 95, a film based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and starring Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh in the lead. The makers of the movie have been waiting to receive a certificate from the Censor Board for over 18 months, he said. According to reports, the film certification body has demanded 127 cuts in Punjab 95. Kunal Kamra, who has often courted controversy for his anti-establishment views, said he wonders who would be upset "if this film came out the way its team and director wanted it to". In an Instagram post shared on Tuesday, the comedian said the authorities don't want anyone to celebrate "a hero that hails from a minority community today". The discourse around Punjab 95 resurfaced on social media after Diljit Dosanjh and the producers of Sardaar Ji 3 landed in soup over Pakistani actor Hania Aamir's casting in the new Punjabi film. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kunal Kamra (@kuna_kamra) What's Happening Comedian Kunal Kamra on Tuesday shared a post in support of Punjab 95, a film directed by Honey Trehan and starring Diljit Dosanjh as the late human activist Jaswant Singh Khalra who investigated cases of mass cremations and extrajudicial killings of Sikhs in Punjab in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1995, the activist was allegedly abducted and murdered by Punjab Police. In his post, the comic said, "I don't think they want anyone to celebrate a hero that hails from a minority community today. I just finished watching Panjab 95, a film that refamiliarizes me with the martyrdom of Jaswant Singh Khalra... A man who was abducted, tortured and killed for his 'crime' of constitutionally demanding accountability from a system that had descended into depths of inhumanity." "I don't know who would even be upset if this film came out the way its team and director wanted it to. For the last eighteen months the team behind the film has been dealing with the whims and fancies of the censor board who want to have 21, 35, 85, 127 cuts and are still not sure if they would be able to give a certificate to the story of one of Punjab's most relentless human right warriors. The police in the film, they say, should not be called Punjab Police. And the martyr in the film should not be called Jaswant Singh Khalra!" added Kunal Kamra. The comedian called the long list of objections, cuts and interventions by CBFC "couldn't be more absurd". "Like I said at the beginning, they do not want us to remember a hero who wears a turban and is a devoted Sikh. For me the film is a unexaggerated corroboration of the facts that remain in public domain that the fearful in power, through censor board want to erase," he wrote. What Else We Know About Punjab 95 Punjab 95 was earlier slated to release in theatres on February 7, 2025, without any cuts. Diljit Dosanjh later shared an update about the delay in the movie's release on his Instagram Stories. "We are sorry and it pains us to inform you that the movie Punjab 95 will not release on 7th Feb due to circumstances beyond our control." Punjab 95 was also removed from the line-up of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), just ahead of its world premiere without any prior intimation. Filmmaker Sunayana Suresh, who also watched Punjab 95 recently, shared a long note on Instagram backing the makers and calling out the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). In A Nutshell Punjab 95 is yet to receive a certificate from the CBFC. The film board has reportedly asked the film's producers to make 127 cuts in the film. The debate around the delay in the release of Punjab 95 took centre stage after lead star Diljit Dosanjh's upcoming movie Sardaar Ji 3 ran into trouble over the casting of Pakistani actor Hania Aamir in the film despite a ban on Pakistani actors working in Indian film productions, especially in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.
NDTV
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Diljit Dosanjh Shares Post Backing Punjab 95, Stuck With Censors, Amid Hania Aamir- Sardaar Ji 3 Row
New Delhi: Diljit Dosanjh has been in the eye of the proverbial storm ever since the trailer of Sardaar Ji 3 was released on Sunday, June 22, 2025. The Punjabi star is facing backlash for co-starring in the upcoming Punjabi film with Pakistani actor Hania Aamir. Diljit Dosanjh, who remains unfazed despite criticism over Hania Aamir's casting in Sardaar Ji 3, on Monday reshared a post about the Censor Board demanding 127 cuts for his other film Punjab 95, which has been embroiled in controversy for quite some time. The film, which is stuck with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. What's Happening Diljit Dosanjh reshared a detailed post by filmmaker Sunayana Suresh, who has jotted down all the issues that Honey Trehan's film Punjab 95 is facing. Led by Diljit Dosanjh, the film is currently stuck with the Censor Board which has reportedly demanded 127 cuts in the film. Sunayana Suresh penned down a long Instagram post on censorship troubles. She also highlighted the importance of a film like Punjab 95 in the current political scenario. The title of the post read, 'Censored before release?' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sunayana Suresh (@sunayanasuresh) Sunayana Suresh applauded Diljit Dosanjh for his solid performance, and wrote, "I recently had the chance to watch Punjab 95, the much-discussed film directed by Honey Trehan and led by powerfully restrained performance from Diljit Dosanjh. The film has lingered with me deeply - not just because of its storytelling, but because of the chilling parallels it shares with the real-life struggles of its protagonist, Jaswant Singh Khalra. Ironically, much like Khalra's battle for truth in the mid-90s, the film about his life now finds itself fighting a similar uphill battle - for the right to be seen (sic)." Stating how the board silencing the film is an "ironic twist", the filmmaker added, "The CBFC has reportedly demanded a staggering 127 cuts for it to be approved. These include removing the names of political figures, real locations, references to documented human rights abuses, and even factual historical context. Essentially, the board is asking the filmmakers to erase the very backbone of the story (sic)." Director Honey Trehan is still trying to get the film approved by the Censor Board without the cuts. Diljit Dosanjh has also put his foot down and refused to accept what is being made out to be Punjab 95 's fate. In her post, Sunayan Suresh said the stance by the makers is "not just artistic - it's political". "It raises a larger, unsettling question: if India prides itself as the world's largest democracy, why must a film like Punjab 95 fight so hard to exist? (sic)" she added. She concluded her post, saying that silencing the film's voice is unacceptable because cinema dares to ask uncomfortable questions. About Punjab 95 Diljit Dosanjh essays the role of the late human activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in Punjab 95. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, Jaswant Singh Khalra investigated cases of mass cremations and extrajudicial killings of Sikhs in Punjab. In September 1995, the activist was allegedly abducted and murdered by Punjab Police. The film was earlier slated to release in theatres on February 7, 2025, without any cuts. Diljit Dosanjh later shared the delay in the movie's release on his Instagram Stories. "We are sorry and it pains us to inform you that the movie Punjab 95 will not release on 7th Feb due to circumstances beyond our control." Punjab 95 was also removed from the line-up of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), just ahead of its world premiere without any prior intimation. In A Nutshell Honey Trehan's film Punjab 95, led by Diljit Dosanjh, is stuck with the censors. According to reports, the film -- based on the life of human-rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra -- is facing 127 cuts from the CBFC. Filmmaker Sunayana Suresh shared a long post on social media talking about the film and the unfair treatment being meted out to it by the board. Diljit Dosanjh reshared the post on his Instagram Story amid controversy over the casting of Pakistani star Hania Aamir in his new Punjabi movie Sardaar Ji 3.
