Producer Suresh Kumar on 'JSK' Censorship Woes: All Issues Began With 'L2: Empuraan'

According to a report, Suresh Kumar believed the 'L2: Empuraan' controversy made the Censor Board extremely vigilant.

Team THR India
By Team THR India
LAST UPDATED: JUL 11, 2025, 14:25 IST|5 min read
Posters of 'L2: Empuraan' and 'JSK'
Posters of 'L2: Empuraan' and 'JSK'

In a report that was published on ManoramaOnline.com, producer Suresh Kumar blamed the release and the ensuing controversies surrounding L2: Empuraan for the censorship issues faced by actor Suresh Gopi’s legal drama JSK (Janaki Vs State Of Kerala). The legal drama has not been issued a certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) due to disagreement over the film’s title.

According to the report, Suresh Kumar had told the press that the string of controversies that followed the release of L2: Empuraan had made the Censor Board extremely vigilant and careful. Empuraan underwent 24 “voluntary cuts” totalling 2.08 minutes after it faced backlash, primarily from right-wing groups, following its release on March 27, 2025. “The censor board became more cautious after that (Empuraan issue). That’s why this problem has arisen (for JSK); everything began from there," he was quoted as saying.

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As for JSK, the Kerala High Court Judge N Nagaresh watched the film on Saturday at a private studio. In late June, the Central Board for Film Certification had objected to the name ‘Janaki’ in the film’s title. This is the second Malayalam film in recent times to face a hurdle for using the name Janaki. Now the case will be heard again in the High Court on Wednesday.

The character of Janaki is played by Anupama Parameswaran in the film. The other lead character in the film is Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi. This was supposed to be his first movie release after taking charge as the union minister. From the promotional material, it looks like the courtroom drama will explore the legal fight of a woman against the State government. In a similar case, another film named Token Number faced obstacles with the lead name of its protagonist. In that case, the makers had to change the name of the lead from Janaki to Jayanti.

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Meanwhile, L2: Empuraan ended its run by emerging as the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time, surpassing the previous record holder, Manjummel Boys (2024). The Mohanlal-led political thriller toppled the Manjummel Boys' global record of ₹241 crore on its ninth day. Empuraan then scripted history by becoming the first Malayalam film to cross the benchmark of ₹250 crore at the worldwide box office.

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