The Malayalam courtroom thriller Janaki vs State of Kerala, featuring Suresh Gopi and Anupama Parameswaran, is now running into a big problem on the eve of its release.
As per reports, the Central Board of Film Certification has objected to the utilization of the name “Janaki” within the title of the movie because the name is that of a venerated Hindu deity and may hurt religious feelings. Because of this reason, the board has delayed clearance for the movie.
To address the concerns, officials at the CBFC reportedly offered that the filmmakers change Janaki’s name to Anupama. The filmmakers resisted and refused to change the name, or title, releasing Janaki vs State of Kerala, indefinitely.
This has enraged members of the film community. A representative from FEFSI condemned the action as an assault on creative freedom: “If Janaki is a common name in India, does that mean nobody can have the same name included in a film anymore?”
In Janaki vs State of Kerala, Suresh Gopi plays the role of a headstrong lawyer who is seeking justice for a young woman wrongfully accused in a rampant high-profile case. Janaki vs State of Kerala seeks to dispense with all of the chaos of courtroom-related drama that nevertheless addresses and brings urgent legal and social dilemmas to the surface.