‘Janki Chapter 1,’ the first Hindi film made in Chhattisgarh, is embroiled in a controversy after the Censor Board refused to issue a certificate for its release. The board has reportedly objected to the film’s title. The producer, Mohit Sahu, has announced he will challenge the decision by appealing to the Revising Committee and, if necessary, pursuing the matter in the High Court, all while maintaining the film’s original title.
Following the censor board’s rejection, Mohit Sahu took to social media to express his disappointment. In a video message, he stated, “The censor certificate for ‘Janki’ has been withheld. I’m in Mumbai, and the Censor Board has refused to grant a certificate with the title ‘Janki.’ However, I will release the film under this name.”
Alongside a poster for ‘Janki Chapter 1,’ Mohit Sahu posted a lengthy note criticizing the censor board’s decision. He wrote, “It seems the Censor Board is exhibiting a prejudiced attitude. They demand that I change the name ‘Janki’ to get the certificate. Why should I betray my story? What is wrong with writing a story titled ‘Janki’? What crime did I commit by naming the heroine ‘Janki’? When I raised these questions before the Censor Board officials, they suggested I go to the Revising Committee. I will go there, and if ‘Janki’ does not receive justice, I will go directly to the High Court.”
The trailer for ‘Janki’ was unveiled on April 23rd in Raipur during a grand event. At the event, Mohit Sahu announced the film’s Hindi release across India on June 13th. The film features Anikriti Chauhan as Janki and Dilesh Sahu as Raghu. The trailer and songs were already available on YouTube, and promotion for the film had been ongoing for the previous two weeks.
Director Kausal Upadhyay also expressed his opinion on the issue on social media, stating sarcastically, “Today, I realized that the name ‘Kaminey’ would be more appropriate than ‘Janki.’ Well done, Censor Board…”
The film features Anikriti Chauhan, Dilesh Sahu, Jeet Sharma, Neeraj Uike, Nitin Gwala, Amit Goswami, Sumitra Sahu, Anunay Sharma, Deewana Patel, Mohit Joshi, Pappu Chandrakar, Tejaram Sahu, and Amar Das Lahre. Mohit Sahu is the producer and action designer. Gajendra Dewangan, Ashish Kumar Goyal, and Ravi Mahawar are the co-producers. Kausal Upadhyay wrote the script and directed the film. Gaurang Trivedi is the editor, and Toshant Kumar and Monika Verma provided the music. The film features the voices of Kailash Kher, Shaan, Javed Ali, Dev Negi, Nakash Aziz, and Monika Verma.