09-07-2025
Portrayal of ‘Janaki' in Malayalam film may hurt religious sentiments: CBFC tells Kerala HC
The Central Board of Film Certification told the Kerala High Court that it had objected to the Malayalam film Janaki vs State of Kerala because the title character 'Janaki', another name of the Hindu deity Sita, is shown being subjected to rape and other traumatic experiences, Live Law reported on Wednesday.
In an affidavit, the board said that such a portrayal undermined 'the dignity and sanctity associated with the revered persona of Goddess Sita, thereby causing grave offence to religious sentiments'.
It flagged a courtroom scene, where the character 'Janaki' is being cross-examined by a defence lawyer from another religion, claiming that the interaction included 'objectionable questions' and could disrupt public order.
Janaki vs State of Kerala, which also stars Union minister Suresh Gopi, was earlier scheduled for release on June 27. However, its producers, Cosmos Entertainments, moved the High Court after the censor certificate was delayed despite their application being submitted on June 12.
On Wednesday, Justice N Nagaresh directed the board to grant the censor certification after the producers agreed to two alterations sought by the Central Board of Film Certification, Bar and Bench reported.
During the hearing, the film certification board's counsel Abhinav Chandrachud told the court that although the board had initially proposed 96 cuts, it was now only seeking two revisions.
The first was to revise the subtitle Janaki v State of Kerala by changing the name to either 'Janaki V' or 'V Janaki' to reflect the character's full name and second was to mute the character's name during the courtroom scene.
Chandrachud also told the court that the Central Board of Film Certification would grant the censor certificate within three days after the revised version of the film is submitted. The matter has been listed for further hearing after a week.
During a previous hearing, Nagaresh, who watched the film on July 5, said that there was no reason why a woman who had been raped could not be named 'Janaki', Bar and Bench reported. He also criticised the certification board for interfering with free speech and artistic freedom.
