Malayalam film 'JSK' in title controversy

Leading Mollywood houses will protest at the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) regional office in Thiruvananthapuram on June 30. The protest will be held alleging arbitrary and excessive practices in the certification of films. The reason for the protest is that the CBFC revising committee has objected to the title and the name of the lead character of the upcoming courtroom drama ‘JSK - Janaki vs State of Kerala’.

The film, which stars Union Minister and actor Suresh Gopi and Anupama Parameswaran in the lead roles, was scheduled to release on June 27. The film has been postponed after the CBFC did not grant the final screening certificate. According to details revealed by director Praveen Narayanan through his social media, the CBFC revising committee has demanded that the word “Janaki” be removed from the title and the name of the character be changed. The committee objected to the film's character Janaki being a victim of sexual harassment and the name being associated with the Hindu goddess Sita.

Although the film had previously been rated U/A 13+ without any cuts, its release was stopped due to the intervention of the revising committee. The decision has sparked outrage in the industry. Film companies have come together to protest against censorship in the name of religious sensitivities and to protect artistic freedom. Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFCA) General Secretary B. Unnikrishnan criticized the decision as a "state of mind" and warned that it could have a serious impact on the industry. "Many directors and writers have already approached us. They have expressed concerns that using culturally rooted names in their stories could create controversy," he said.

Members of FEFCA, Kerala Film Producers Association, Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) and Directors Union will participate in the protest. Directors Union president Renji Panikkar expressed concern over the wider implications of the decision. “Will there be a situation where characters will have to be identified by numbers instead of names? India can object to any name in view of its diverse religious sentiments,” he commented.

The makers of the film ‘JSK - Janaki vs State of Kerala’ had earlier approached the Kerala High Court, alleging that the CBFC was delaying the issuance of the certificate. The film is produced by J. Phanindra Kumar under the banner of Cosmos Entertainments. The film also stars Madhav Suresh, Sruthi Ramachandran, Divya Pillai, Askar Ali, Baiju Santhosh, Kottayam Ramesh and Shobhi Thilakan.