Kerala high court to watch ‘JSK’ on Saturday amid certification dispute

Kochi: Kerala high court will watch the Suresh Gopi-starrer ‘JSK – Janaki vs State of Kerala' in connection with petitions challenging the order of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) directing a change in its title and the name of its lead character ‘Janaki'.The bench of Justice N Nagaresh, while considering a petition by the film's production company Cosmos Entertainments, decided to watch the movie at Lal Media, Palarivattom, Kochi, at 10am on Saturday. The court adjourned the petitions to next Wednesday for further hearing.The petitioner had approached HC seeking a directive to CBFC to issue the censor certificate within a specified time to enable the film's release. In response, the board referred the film to its revising committee, which subsequently recommended changing the film's title and the name of the lead character. The production company then filed a second petition challenging this decision.The film, directed by Pravin Narayanan and also starring Anupama Parameswaran, is reportedly centred on the legal battle of an assaulted woman against the state.CBFC has maintained that the use of the name ‘Janaki', another name for Goddess Sita, violates Guideline 2(12) for film certification, which prohibits visuals or words that are contemptuous of racial, religious or other groups.Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud appeared for CBFC and sought additional time to file a reply to the second petition. Advocate Haris Beeran, counsel for the petitioner, requested that both petitions be heard together. The court granted Chandrachud's request and adjourned the matter to next Wednesday. It also directed the petitioner to arrange necessary facilities to screen the film for the court. As the petitioner cited practical difficulties in conducting the screening in the courtroom, the court allowed the screening to be held in a studio instead.Chandrachud also requested that the film be screened at the CBFC office in Mumbai, as he is currently based there, and the court directed him to consult CBFC officials regarding the request.At the previous hearing, the court had severely criticised the CBFC's objection to the use of the name ‘Janaki' for the film's title or its lead character, asking how it could be considered contemptuous to any racial, religious, or other group. "What is wrong with the name Janaki? Why should the petitioner change the title? Give a reason. Do you dictate to directors and artists which titles they should use or what stories they should tell?," it had asked.