Ernakulam: As the friction between the makers of Suresh Gopi-starrer ‘Janaki vs State of Kerala’ and Central Board Film Certification (CBFC) escalates, a Kerala high court judge has decided to watch the complete movie and then pass the necessary orders.
The court adjourned the hearing on the petition against the CBFC’s directive to change the title of the Malayalam film ‘Janaki vs State of Kerala’, stating that the court will first watch the film as the court was of the view that the contents of the movie requires to be ascertained before passing an order.
As per the arrangement, Justice Nagaresh will watch the movie from a studio decided by the production company.
“We are hopeful that the court will understand the merits in the case and take a decision. Until then we do not want to pass any comments on the matter”, said one of the members of the production company to News9.
Noting that the protagonist, named Janaki, is a victim of sexual assault seeking justice in Court of law, the judge had earlier asked the Board how the name was problematic.
“She is not a rapist. If a rapist is named as Rama, Krishna, Janaki, then I can understand. At least we can appreciate that you should not name that character with God’s name. Here, she is a heroine of the film, fighting for the cause of justice.,” the Judge had orally remarked.
The bench was dealing with a petition filed by the production over delay in granting of certification for the film, which was planned to hit the theatres on June 27.
Standing counsel appearing for CBFC on Wednesday sought time to the allegations leveled in the second petition, particularly in regard to some earlier films certified by the body. It was also submitted that in view of the prayer made out in the second writ petition, the first writ petition has become infructuous.