Censor board tells 'Godhra' makers to change the title

BENGALURU: Sandalwood's upcoming film "Godhra", starring Sathish Ninasam and Shraddha Srinath, is now in news for the title. As the film applied for censor certificate, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on Saturday suggested change of the film name.

As the Godhra reflects the plight of a gang-rape victim of the post-Godhra communal riots in Gujarat in 2002, the team has decided to drop the title and is looking an apt title to matches the script.

According to the reports, the Godhra team expressed their disappointment for the title change, which was already approved by Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), but it was rejected by the CBFC.

The team also learnt from the CBFC that the approved and registered title from KFCC has no validity. KFCC has no such authority or power to give permission to any movie titles. Also, the approved titles by KFCC need not be accepted by the CBFC.

The sources say that it even faced objections regarding the content. However, the team made it clear that the film is no way related to the Godhra incident. They claim that they have been promoting and shooting the movie with the title approved by the KFCC. It is also said that the team tried their best to convince them that the incident in Godhra and the movie had no connection.

According to the source close to the teams, the CBFC was not happy with narration of the storyline also. So, they suggested changing the title. "Some subjects that are straight forward are always bitter in reality. We have been instructed to change the title," they said.

The film marks the directorial debut of Nandish. He was associated with director Jacob Verghese before turning an independent feature film director. The story of Godhra, which means war, is set in a fictional place. The film has music by Judah Sandy and Karthk and cinematography is being handled by Sashi Kumar.

Godhra has been shot in various locations including Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Kurnool, Sakleshpur, Haasan, Bengaluru and Malaysia. Achyut Kumar, Vasishtha Simha, Raksha Somashekhar and Sonu Gowda are playing other important roles.