The release of ‘Janki Chapter 1,’ touted as the first Hindi film from Chhattisgarh, has been stalled following a decision by the Censor Board. The Board has reportedly declined to issue a certificate, citing objections to the film’s title. Producer Mohit Sahu has indicated that he will challenge the decision by appealing to the Revising Committee, and potentially the High Court, while remaining committed to the original title.
Following the setback, Mohit Sahu shared a video on social media expressing his dismay. In the video, Sahu stated, “The censor certificate for ‘Janki’ has been held up. I am in Mumbai, and the Censor Board has refused to grant a certificate with the title ‘Janki.’ Despite this, I intend to release the film under the same name.”
Sahu also posted a detailed note alongside a poster for ‘Janki Chapter 1.’ He wrote, “It seems the Censor Board is showing a bias. They’re suggesting I change the title to receive certification, but why should I alter my story? What is the fault in writing a story titled ‘Janki’? What crime is it to name the heroine ‘Janki’? When I raised these concerns, the Censor Board officials advised me to approach the Revising Committee. I plan to do so, and if justice is not served, I will seek legal recourse in the High Court.”
The trailer for ‘Janki’ was launched on April 23rd at a grand ceremony in Raipur. Mohit Sahu announced a nationwide Hindi release date of June 13th. The film stars Anikriti Chauhan as Janki and Dilesh Sahu as Raghu. The trailer and songs were already available on YouTube, and promotion had been underway for two weeks prior to the anticipated release.
Director Kausal Upadhyay also weighed in on the situation via social media, sarcastically remarking, “Today, I understood that the name ‘Kaminey’ would be more acceptable than ‘Janki.’ Bravo, Censor Board!”
The film stars Anikriti Chauhan and Dilesh Sahu, as well as 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, with Gajendra Dewangan, Ashish Kumar Goyal, and Ravi Mahawar serving as co-producers. Kausal Upadhyay wrote the script and directed the film. Gaurang Trivedi is the editor, and Toshant Kumar and Monika Verma composed the music. The film features vocals from Kailash Kher, Shaan, Javed Ali, Dev Negi, Nakash Aziz, and Monika Verma.