The film, 'Janaki V vs State of Kerala' has been making a lot of headlines regarding its narrative. Amid that, read on to know if the film is based on a true story or not.
Apart from the patriotic feeling, Independence week has always been a time for new films and web shows to be released and this year is no different. Among all the new releases, one is Janaki V vs State of Kerala, which was released on OTT platform, Zee5, on August 15, 2025. Since a long time, the film has been making headlines for various reasons, amid that, viewers are curious about if the film is based on a real incident or if it is fictional.
Janaki V vs State of Kerala is a Malayalam courtroom drama film, that focuses on the journey of a se***al as***ut survivor, who wants justice. Since a while, there have been a lot of rumours that the film is based on a true story. A few days ago, Hindustan Times had reported that the makers of the film claim that it is based on a true story, but it has not been officially verified.
While the film seems very realistic, it does not seem to be based on a particular true story or person. Rather, it is inspired from a few real-life events. The central character of the film, 'Janaki Vidhyadharan' is fictional. Although, her experiences, trauma and legal struggle might be similar to many real stories, there is no record of a person by that name.
The film, Janaki V vs State of Kerala, follows a young woman, 'Janaki Vidhyadharan' (played by Anupama Parameswaran), who is se***ly as****ed during her visit to her hometown, Kerala. When she files a complaint, the case doesn't move forward. When 'Janaki' pushes it, the real struggle begins in the courtroom. Suresh Gopi plays the role of a lawyer, 'David Abel Donovan', who stands up for 'Janaki'. The narrative revolves around the struggles she has to go through in order to get justice.
According to a report by India Today, when the makers had submitted the film to the Central Board of Film Certification, they were given around 92 cuts and changes before the approval. According to the filmmaker, the changes were not minor, they were major alterations. The makers were not okay with it, which led to the dispute being taken to the Kerala High Court. The legal battle reduced the edits from 92 to 2.
The CBFC had offered two major changes. One was the alteration in the title of the film. Initially the name in the title was 'Janaki', but it was changed to 'Janaki V', especially due to its association with the Hindu goddess Sita. Second change was during a cross-examination scene, where religious things were involved, CBFC asked for the protagonist's name to be muted to avoid any tensions.
Anupama Parameswaran is an Indian actress, known for her work in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil films. She made her acting debut with the film, Premam and later went on to do films like A Aa, Shatamanam Bhavati, Rowdy Boys, Kodi and more. Over the years, she gained popularity for her charming and powerful screen presence.
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