Censor board flags ‘Janaki’, director confirms Suresh Gopi’s film delayed

Director Praveen Narayanan has revealed that the revising committee of the Censor Board has demanded changes to the film JSK: Janaki vs State of Kerala, including the removal of the name ‘Janaki’ from both the title and the lead character. The film, which stars Union Minister and actor Suresh Gopi, is now facing a significant release hurdle.

In a Facebook post, the director said that the Censor Board's revising committee had recommended further changes after viewing the film. The Board has also informed the Kerala High Court that it would review and evaluate the film once again on Thursday.

The Kerala High Court will now hear the case on Friday. The controversy comes after the film had already been viewed by the Censor Board’s screening committee. However, with the certificate still pending, the producers — Cosmos Entertainments — approached the High Court earlier this week.

According to the producers, they applied for a censor certificate on 12 June, but had yet to receive it, resulting in financial losses of approximately ₹80 lakh due to the delayed release. They alleged that the unofficial reason for the delay was the film's use of the name 'Janaki' — both as the title and as the character’s name.

The film was initially slated to release on Friday, but that now remains uncertain due to the ongoing dispute. The producers argue that the delay constitutes unfair censorship and is impacting their business interests, as well as the public's right to access creative content.

The High Court's ruling on Friday could determine whether the film gets clearance in time for its release or faces further hurdles stemming from the Censor Board's objections.