‘Protagonist named after ‘Sita’ questioned by person of another faith’: Censor Board

Thiruvananthapuram: In the controversy surrounding the movie ‘Janaki v/s State of Kerala, the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) affidavit it filed in the Kerala High Court showed that the protagonist in the film ‘Janaki’, whose name is associated with Hindu goddess Sita, is fighting for justice in the movie after she became a victim to rape and she was cross-examined in the film by a person of another faith, The Indian Express reported.

That is what made the board demand the film producers to change the name of the character.

The Indian Express quoted the counter-affidavit submitted by CBFC CEO (Mumbai) Rajendra Singh, “In the film, when the lead character, who is named after Goddess Sita/Janaki, is raped, she is aided by a man belonging to a particular religious community and is cross-examined and asked harrowing questions by a person belonging to another religious community. This religious dichotomy in the treatment of the character bearing Goddess Sita’s sacred name has the potential to inflame communal tensions and create divisive narratives between religious groups. Given the profound reverence accorded to Goddess Sita across India, these religiously charged subplots would pose a severe threat to public order.”

The board claimed that a film that has the tendency to disrupt public order should not be viewed through the lens of a person indifferent to religious sentiments, but determination must be made from the perspective of an average moral man or an ordinary man of common sense and prudence.

In the film, during the cross-examination of rape victim ‘Janaki’ in a court, the other character of another faith asks provocative questions. Asking such provocative questions to a character named after Goddess Sita will have the tendency to offend religious sentiments and disrupt public order, the Censor Board claimed.

However, the latest update on the issue suggests that the producers and the board have reached a consensus that producers will change the protagonist’s name to V Janaki, which will be reflected in the title as well. Also, the reference to the name at two particular instances in the movie will be muted.

The Kerala High Court single-judge bench of Justice N Nagresh has directed the producers to submit a revised version of the movie before the CBFC, and the board was asked to issue a certificate within three days.