Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday raised concerns over the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) decision to withhold certification for the upcoming Malayalam film JSK: Janaki vs State of Kerala, which stars Union Minister and actor Suresh Gopi.
According to a report by Bar and Bench, the court questioned the CBFC’s objection to the film’s title, noting that Indian cinema has a long history of films using mythological names like Ram and Sita.
📜 HC Questions Religious Objection
Representing the CBFC, Deputy Solicitor General of India (DGSI) Om Shalina said the issue lay in the protagonist’s name, Janaki, which is another name for Goddess Sita. However, the court was unconvinced.
“Why should somebody change the name of a character? Janaki is a common name used everywhere. What religious purpose? We have movies with names Sita and Gita. Janaki is Sita. Nothing happened then. Nobody had any complaints. We have a film named Ram Lakhan. Nobody has any complaint. How come there are some complaints for Janaki now?” the judge observed.
🎬 The Petition Against CBFC Delay
The film’s producers, Cosmos Entertainment, filed a petition highlighting the delay in certification. They stated that although the application was submitted on June 12, the CBFC neither issued a certificate nor formally communicated any objections. Notably, the film’s teaser had already been certified without objection.
The petition described the delay as “arbitrary”, noting that the team only learned about the CBFC’s concerns through media reports, not official communication.
🚨 Content Concerns Cited
The DGSI added that the actual concern was about the film’s “mature themes”, including depictions of sexual crimes against women and explicit language used in those contexts.
📣 Industry Pushback
JSK, directed by Pravin Narayanan, was scheduled for release on June 27. In response to the controversy, B Unnikrishnan, General Secretary of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), announced a symbolic protest outside the CBFC office on Monday, condemning what he described as “disturbing pressure” to alter the film’s title.