‘Janki Chapter 1,’ the first Hindi film produced in Chhattisgarh, is now embroiled in controversy. The Censor Board has blocked the film’s release. The board reportedly refused to grant a certificate due to concerns over the film’s title. Producer Mohit Sahu has stated that he will appeal to the Revising Committee and, if necessary, will take the matter to the High Court, vowing to release the film under the original title.
After the Censor Board’s decision, Mohit Sahu shared a video on social media, expressing his disappointment. “The censor certificate for ‘Janki’ has been held up. I am in Mumbai right now. The Censor Board has refused to issue a certificate with the name ‘Janki,’ but I will release the film with the same name.”
In addition, Mohit Sahu posted a poster for ‘Janki Chapter 1,’ accompanied by a lengthy message. He wrote: “It appears the Censor Board has taken a patriarchal stance. They demand that I remove the name ‘Janki’ to receive the certificate. But why should I betray my story? What have I done wrong by titling my story ‘Janki’? What crime have I committed by naming the heroine ‘Janki’? I presented my concerns to the Censor Board officials, and they advised me to approach the Revising Committee. I intend to do so, and if justice is not served, I will seek recourse in the High Court.”
The trailer of ‘Janki’ was unveiled on April 23rd at a grand event held at Shyam Talkies, Raipur. Mohit Sahu announced that the film was scheduled to be released in Hindi across India on June 13th. The film stars Anikriti Chauhan as Janki and Dilesh Sahu as Raghu. The trailer and songs were already available on YouTube, and the film had been extensively promoted in the preceding weeks.
Kausal Upadhyay, the director of ‘Janki Chapter 1,’ also commented on the situation on social media, sarcastically stating, “Today I realized that ‘Kaminey’ would be a more suitable title than ‘Janki.’ Well done, Censor Board…”
The film features Anikriti Chauhan as Janki and Dilesh Sahu as Raghu, along with Jeet Sharma, Neeraj Uike, Nitin Gwala, Amit Goswami, Sumitra Sahu, Anunay Sharma, Deewana Patel, Mohit Joshi, Pappu Chandrakar, Tejaram Sahu, and Amar Das Lahre. The film is produced and has action design by Mohit Sahu. Gajendra Dewangan, Ashish Kumar Goyal, and Ravi Mahawar are co-producers. Kausal Upadhyay has written the script and directed the film. Gaurang Trivedi is the editor, and Toshant Kumar and Monika Verma have composed the music. The film features vocals by Kailash Kher, Shaan, Javed Ali, Dev Negi, Nakash Aziz, and Monika Verma.