As the row over the censorship of a Malayalam movie for the use of 'Janaki' in its title is still brewing, lawyer and activist Harish Vasudevan has sent a Right To Information plea, in an apparent bid for clarity.
Harish, known for his vocal reactions to legal issues, wrote an RTI plea to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), asking for the list of names of goddesses. "Provide the list of names of goddesses in India to enable me to avoid using such names in my proposed film depicting her as a victim of sexual assault and rape, so that I can avoid undermining the dignity and sanctity of such goddesses/their names," he wrote.
Harish was referring to the contention used by the CBFC reply in the Kerala High Court, asking the makers of the film Janaki Vs State of Kerala to revise the name with an initial for Janaki, as well as to mute the name in a couple of sequences.
The issue gained wide interest and drew a lot of protest when it was revealed that the contention was over naming a character, who is a survivor of sexual assault, as Janaki, which is another name for the Hindu mythological character Sita.
Apart from a change in the name Janaki, the CBFC had asked for several cuts–96 in all– but these were reduced to a few, including a title change, after the film producers took the matter to court. The Kerala High Court asked the CBFC to issue the certificate within three days after the revised version was submitted.
In his RTI, Harish further asked for the source of information that the CBFC relied on to identify Janaki as the name of a goddess. His third question in the RTI is to provide the list of names of gods that he should avoid for naming a character who is a sexual assaulter.
There has so far been no response from the CBFC.
The film, which is slated for release on July 18, stars actor and Bharatiya Janata Party Minister of State Suresh Gopi, alongside Anupama Parameswaran, in lead roles.
Several film organisations protested against the CBFC’s move stalling the film’s release over its title. It was observed by many that even the involvement of a Union Minister in the film had not helped stop the denial of a censor certificate for the original title.