‘Jana Nayagan’ Row: Makers Withdraw Petition Against CBFC, Revising Committee to Certify Vijay-Starrer

Ending a month-long legal stalemate, the makers of Vijay’s Jana Nayagan have withdrawn their petition before the Madras High Court challenging the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) decision to refer the film to a revising committee.

The withdrawal clears the way for the CBFC’s revising committee to examine the film and determine whether it will be granted an Adult (A), Unrestricted Public Exhibition (U), or Unrestricted Exhibition with Parental Guidance (U/A) certificate. On February 10, Justice PT Asha of the Madras High Court heard the case and permitted the withdrawal of the petition, Bar and Bench reported. A February release of the film can thus be foreseen following the dissolution of the legal deadlock.

The development follows an earlier ruling by a Division Bench of the Madras High Court that set aside a single-judge order directing the CBFC to immediately grant censor clearance to the film.

Jana Nayagan became embroiled in a legal dispute after the CBFC delayed issuing a certificate, with the film missing its Pongal release date. The producers claimed that the examining committee had indicated the film would receive a U/A certificate subject to certain modifications. However, the certificate was not issued, and the film was instead referred to a revising committee, prompting the producers to approach the court.

The CBFC informed the High Court that the decision to send the film for revision was taken following a complaint from a single member of the examining committee. The complaint alleged that some objections had been ignored and that certain scenes in the film could potentially hurt religious sentiments and misrepresent the armed forces.

Prior to the High Court proceedings, the makers of Jana Nayagan had approached the Supreme Court seeking urgent intervention. The apex court declined to grant an expedited hearing and advised the producers to pursue the matter before the Madras High Court.

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 big-budget political thriller also features Bobby Deol, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju and Priyamani, and is among the most anticipated releases of 2026.