The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has denied any role in the leak of superstar Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, dismissing growing social media claims that the film surfaced online after being stuck in censorship limbo for three months.
The board took to X and stated that reports claiming that the Tamil actioner was leaked from the CBFC are "baseless and misleading."
Clips, including the film's title credits, action scenes, introduction sequence as well as the climax, started appearing on social media on Thursday evening and and by Friday, HD prints of the full film were available on pirated sites.
Directed by H. Vinoth Jana Nayagan—titled Jana Neta in Hindi—is positioned as Vijay’s final film before his transition into full-time politics.
The board said that it follows a secure KDM (Key Delivery Message) system for all theatrical films submitted for certification and access to the same is always "password-protected". CBFC said that the KDM "remains solely with the producer/filmmaker."
"Without a valid KDM, the film cannot be accessed or viewed. The DCP (Digital Cinema Package) of “Jana Nayagan” was handed over to the applicant in Mumbai on 17 March with due acknowledgement, and has remained with them since," the tweet read.
Several industry leaders condemened the leak of Jana Nayagan, including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Vijay Deverakonda.
Producers of Jana Nayagan, KVN Productions, also issued a statement, which read, "We have already initiated necessary investigations, including forensic investigations and complaints against persons involved and are actively identifying all others in the chain of circulation. Strict civil and criminal proceedings will be pursued against every offender without exceptions."
Jana Nayagan became embroiled in a legal dispute after the CBFC delayed issuing a certificate, with the film missing its Pongal release date. The film also features Bobby Deol, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju and Priyamani, and continues to be among the most anticipated releases of 2026.