Kochi, June 27
General Secretary of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), B Unnikrishnan on Friday termed as "distrurbing" and "arbitrary," the alleged demand of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to the makers of 'Janaki vs State of Kerala' to change the name of both the film and its title character.
Producers of 'Janaki Vs State of Kerala' (JSK) starring Union Minister Suresh Gopi and directed by Pravin Narayanan have approached the Kerala High Court regarding the alleged unofficial directive from the CBFC.
FEFKA General Secretary Unnikrishnan told ANI, "We are also not very sure or clear about the issue regarding JSK, the film JSK. But from our conversation with the director, what we understand is that the CBFC is very keen that the name of the protagonist (played by Anupama Parameswaran), that is Janaki be changed to something else. They have some problem with the connotations of the name Janaki."
However, Unnikrishnan said the film, according to its director, does not contain any specific religious reference or allusions.
"The film doesn't have any specific religious reference or allusions, according to the director. So this decision is really disturbing and is very arbitrary. We are trying to figure out what exactly is the take of CBFC. We expect that they will furnish a show cause in the Honourable High Court this afternoon. After going through, after perusal of that document, we will take appropriate steps and address the issue properly," sad Unnikrishnan.
The FEFKA General Secretary also expressed disappointment with the alleged "random takes" on films from the last couple of years. He said that they are ready to address and discuss such a problem with the authorities and the government.
"Our collective has serious issues with such random takes on films. This keeps happening for the last couple of years. So we need to address this issue at length and speak with authorities, and speak with the government. We, our members, should have proper guidelines to rely on. The guidelines, what we have now, are very generalised. And the members can interpret those guidelines at their will. So I think the guidelines should be more focused, specific and clear," he said.
Unnikrishnan further said that FEFKA and South Eastern Film Critic Association (SEFCA) are planning to plead in the petition filed by JSK in the High Court, however, he said "it's a little too early for that."
He said, "We are planning to plead in the petition to be filed by the producer in the High Court. Both SEFCA and the Kerala Film Producers Association. So that is a very symbolic protest. We want to address this issue in the public domain and also initiate a discussion on this public domain. So that is a very symbolic protest which is going to happen on Monday. We had a discussion with almost all political parties. And they all feel that this issue was quite unfortunate. Hopefully, in the next week or something we can take those discussions forward. But this is too early to say anything about it."
JSK is produced by Cosmis Entertainment.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is ridiculous! Janaki is a common name in Kerala and across India. If there's no religious context as claimed, why should CBFC object? Our film industry deserves creative freedom. #StandWithJanaki
As someone from Kerala, I find this very concerning. Our Malayalam cinema has always handled sensitive topics with maturity. CBFC should explain their reasoning properly instead of giving vague directives.
Maybe there's more to this than we know? CBFC doesn't usually act without reason. They should clarify their stance clearly though - transparency is important in such matters.
This is becoming a pattern now - first Tandav, now Janaki... CBFC needs to have clear guidelines. Arbitrary decisions only create unnecessary controversies. Let films breathe! 🎬
Interesting that the film stars a BJP minister but is facing CBFC issues. Shows the system works independently regardless of political affiliations. Hope the court brings clarity.
As a film student, this worries me. If we start censoring names without context, where does it stop? Tomorrow they might ask to change Ram or Krishna in completely secular stories. Need balanced approach.
Here are 6 diverse Indian perspective comments on the CBFC controversy surrounding 'Janaki vs State of Kerala': We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.