Murali Gopy breaks silence on censorship, cites 'lynching of art' quote

In the wake of the controversy surrounding the use of the name Janaki in the film title ‘Janaki vs State of Kerala’, screenwriter Murali Gopy has shared a strong response. Without directly naming the Suresh Gopi-starrer, Murali's remarks were clearly aimed at the issue and have since sparked both criticism and support online.

Sharing his thoughts on his official page, Murali posted a quote by American literary critic Henry Louis Gates Jr: “Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.” 

The controversy began when the Censor Board raised objections to the female lead in ‘Janaki vs State of Kerala’ being named Janaki. In its affidavit, the Board argued that Janaki is another name for the Hindu goddess Sita, and that naming a sexual assault survivor character Janaki was inappropriate. It further alleged that the character is put on trial by a lawyer from another religion, and that naming her Janaki was a deliberate attempt to provoke communal tension.

In response to these objections, the film’s producers informed the court that they were willing to change the character’s name to V. Janaki and mute all verbal references to the original name in the film.

This isn't the first time a film written by Murali Gopy has faced censorship. The Prithviraj Sukumaran directorial ‘Empuraan’, which Murali scripted, also came under scrutiny. After its release, the Censor Board claimed that certain portions of the film were linked to the Gujarat riots and demanded that those scenes be cut. The team was forced to make changes, and the first half hour of the film was re-edited.
At the time, both Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran had expressed regret over the censorship, but Murali Gopy had chosen to remain silent—until now.