Creative freedom being questioned since BJP came to power at Centre: Kerala minister

Kochi: Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cherian on Saturday alleged that since the BJP came to power at the Centre there have been several instances of creative freedom being questioned with the most recent being the denial of certification to upcoming Malayalam film 'Janaki Vs State of Kerala (JSK)' over its name.

Cherian said that despite a BJP Union Minister of State, Suresh Gopi, acting in the film, it has been denied clearance for public viewing and asked, "What is wrong with the name Janaki?" Hitting out hard at the BJP, he claimed that ever since the saffron party came to power, it was "dictating what people should write, say or eat and how they should act or live in an attempt to communally divide the public".

"We should not allow creative freedom to be questioned. The state government and the LDF are of the clear view that there is no need to surrender before any communal force," he told reporters here.

The minister said that such instances were "symptoms" of the bad situation, after the Emergency, in which the country would find itself if the authoritarian actions of the central government were not questioned and stopped.

"A situation will arise where one would not be able to name their own children," he said The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) revising committee had verbally directed the makers of JSK to change the name of the titular character, as Janaki is another name of Goddess Sita.

The Kerala High Court had on Friday asked the censor board what was wrong with the name 'Janaki' and directed it to submit in writing the decision of its revising committee regarding the film.

The observation and direction came on a plea by the film's production company Cosmos Entertainments against the delay in certification for the movie by the CBFC.