Lawyer Files RTI Seeking Censor Board’s List of Gods and Goddesses After Film Title Controversy

A Right to Information (RTI) application has been filed seeking a list of male and female deities held by India’s Censor Board. The application, submitted by Advocate Hareesh Vasudevan, comes in the wake of a recent controversy surrounding the film “Janaki v/s State of Kerala,” whose title faced objections from the Censor Board and subsequently went to court. The RTI request was filed at the Censor Board’s headquarters in Mumbai.

Hareesh Vasudevan, an advocate at the Kerala High Court, has specifically requested the list of male and female deities across India that the Board possesses. In his application, he noted that he is seeking this information to exercise caution when naming characters in his upcoming film. The Censor Board had objected to “Janaki” being used as a film title, claiming it is a name of a deity. Vasudevan has therefore demanded clarity on the basis for this conclusion and the source of such information.

He further explained in the application that he needs to choose appropriate names for female characters in his film who are victims of sexual assault, as well as names for the villainous characters who perpetrate such acts. The information is being sought to ensure that these naming conventions do not offend religious sentiments or create legal issues. Vasudevan has specifically asked for the Censor Board’s list of deities, seeking clear numbers on how many male and female deities are on this list.

The producers of “Janaki v/s State of Kerala” recently agreed to change the film’s title after the Censor Board’s objections escalated, informing the High Court that they would re-title it as “Janaki V” by adding an initial.