Vijay’s ‘Jana Nayagan’ release postponed amid CBFC certification row
Uncertainty over CBFC clearance and a fresh court-ordered review has forced producers to postpone the release, affecting both domestic and international markets
The release of TVK chief Vijay’s much-awaited multilingual film Jana Nayagan has been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances, the producer announced on Wednesday (January 7). The announcement was made just two days before its scheduled theatrical release on January 9.
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The delay comes in the middle of a tense standoff over the film's certification. The Madras High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on the film's release and instructed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to form a fresh committee to review the film.
Tamil Nadu political circles have been abuzz with the controversy surrounding the film, projected to be filmstar Vijay's last, with the assembly elections just months ahead. Amid speculation that the BJP is trying to ally with his party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), political observers say the ruling party at the Centre may have influenced the CBFC decision.
Delay disrupts release plans
Production house KVN Productions said it understood the anticipation, excitement, and emotions surrounding the film 'Jana Nayagan'.
Taking to social media platform X, the production house shared, "It is with a heavy heart that we share this update with our valued stakeholders and audiences. The release of Jana Nayagan, eagerly awaited on January 9 has been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances beyond our control." The production house said in a statement that the decision of postponement has not been an easy one.
"The new release date will be announced at the earliest." KVN Productions requested patience and love from people and said: "Your unwavering support is our greatest strength and means everything to the entire Jana Nayagan team."
Court review holds release
The Madras High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on a petition seeking a direction to the CBFC to give a censor certificate under 'UA 16+' category to ‘Jana Nayagan’, speculated to be the top star's final film.
The producers had approached the court after the movie failed to obtain its censor certificate despite being submitted over a month earlier, with the board having suggested cuts and muted dialogues on December 19.
With certification still pending, the India release plan has been pushed indefinitely, leaving fans awaiting further clarity.
The impact of the delay has extended beyond India, with distributors in the UK, North America, Canada, and Malaysia also confirming that the film will not release as scheduled.
Release timeline under cloud
The delay in India has also stalled the film’s multilingual rollout. Since CBFC certification for the Tamil version is required before approvals can be granted for the dubbed Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada versions, the issue has put the overall release plan on hold.
Also read | Jana Nayagan vs Parasakthi: TN's political battle spills from streets to silver screen
Directed by H Vinoth, 'Jana Nayagan' features Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priyamani and Narain. Positioned as Vijay’s final film before his move into full-time politics, the project is now awaiting clarity on certification, with audiences in India and overseas looking to an updated release schedule.
Vijay, who heads the fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) political party, has announced contesting the coming Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, due in March-April.