'Jana Nayagan': Vijay’s Final Film Postponed; What Went Wrong?

Actor-politician Vijay’s last film, Jana Nayagan, has been pushed from its planned January 9 release after the Madras High Court reserved its order on a plea filed by the makers challenging the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) decision to withhold a censor certificate.

Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan (titled Jana Neta in Hindi) was one of the most anticipated films of the year, especially considering it marks Vijay's final screen appearance before he deep dives into politics.

"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," KVN Productions officially confirmed in a statement.

The production house assured audiences that a new release date will be announced once finalised and added, "We deeply understand the anticipation, excitement, and emotions surrounding this film, and this decision has not been an easy one for any of us. The new release date will be announced at the earliest. Until then, we humbly request your patience and continued love. Your unwavering support is our greatest strength and means everything to the entire Jana Nayagan team.”

The reason for the delay was almost entirely based on how the film failed to obtain censorship certification, even when the film had less than 40 hours to release. In India, a film cannot be exhibited in theatres without first posting a copy of the film’s censor certificate before each screening.

A case that was filed by the production house with the Madras High Court, contesting the delay in obtaining the censorship certificate, was being heard until the evening of the 7th of January. When the hearing ended, the Judge stated that the judgment would be reserved for a later day. The court is expected to pronounce its decision on January 9, the day the mega film was gearing up for a wide-scale global release, thereby denting its smooth and timely release.

As soon as the news was out, the film began to be pulled down from online ticket booking applications. On Thursday, all shows allotted for Jana Nayagan will be given to other films, especially Sivakarthikeyan’s Parasakthi.

On Monday, the Judge, upon hearing a petition, had asked the additional solicitor general representing the CBFC (Central Board for Film Certification) to submit all the records of the movie, including any complaints filed against it, on Wednesday.

According to several news outlets, KVN Productions’ decision not to announce a new release date may be linked to the fact that there is still room for the CBFC to appeal the decision made by the High Court. A Division bench with two judges may be called to hear the case and it may even be appealed at the Supreme Court, further delaying the film’s release.

The Case, As It Stands

During the hearing on Wednesday, it was brought to the court’s notice that the production house had applied for a censor certificate as early as December 18, after the film completed production on December 15. According to a report in The Hindu, the CBFC had recommended a U/A 16+ certificate subject to certain excisions and modifications. These cuts were made, and the newer version was submitted on December 24. But there was no response from the board for nearly 10 days, despite many reminders, the report stated.

The same report added that the petitioner was surprised when the board had sent a notice stating that the film needed to be referred to a revising committee as late as January 5, just days before release. This delay was attributed to how the film had received a complaint due to its content that could potentially hurt religious sentiments and the portrayal of armed forces in certain scenes.

Political Rivalry?

During the film’s audio launch, which took place last week in Malaysia, Vijay had foreseen a possible delay in the film’s release. Addressing the film’s primary producer, Vijay had asked if, during the initial stage of the film’s discussions, the former was sure about associating with the superstar. He had said, “I asked him (producer Venkat K. Narayana) if he was sure to make a film with me. My films have to deal with obstacles at every stage, even during normal circumstances. But now that I’ve decided to take a different path after this (his political entry), there are sure to be even bigger challenges. But when I asked him this, he was the one who smiled and spread all his positivity into this project.”

In the past, Vijay’s film Thalaiva had faced several postponements on its way to release. The film’s tagline, “Born To Lead,” had apparently ruffled the feathers of the ruling party of the time. It had to be removed from the film before it found a release date.

A controversy had also erupted in 2017 during the release of his film Mersal. This controversy surrounded a dialogue in the film, which criticised India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Digital India initiative. It grew backlash from the ruling BJP party and the AIADMK, with demands to cut such scenes.

In his home state of Tamil Nadu, the film was earlier set to take on Sivakarthikeyan’s Parasakthi, which is on track to release on January 10 and will be the solo release in Tamil during this lucrative release window.

The only other film that might get a large share of theatres in the state appears to be Prabhas’ horror comedy The Raja Saab, which will now release on January 9. Earlier, when Parasakthi had decided to take on Jana Nayagan’s release window, Vijay fans were seen tearing posters of the Sivakarthikeyan film during a trailer launch event in Madurai.

Explaining his stand on why his film needed to be released on the same period, Sivakarthikeyan had explained, “A lot of people are reading too much into my film’s clash with Vijay sir’s final film. When the release date was advanced, I was surprised, and I even asked producer Akash Bhaskaran if we should rethink the date. When we first thought of an October release, we decided to push it only because that was when Jana Nayagan was scheduled. Then we later had to move it to January because if we lose these days, we will be forced to delay the release by several months.” He added that the investors had already been informed of a Pongal release and that a summer release may cause unwanted issues for the film.

Parasakthi's trailer on YouTube stands at 53 million views, trumping Jana Nayagan’s 42 million, with fans reading further into the legitimacy of these numbers. Jana Nayagan trailer also includes several dialogues underlining Vijay's entry into full-fledged politics, with the clip ending with the line, “I am coming,” hinting at his political entry and how it will change things in his home state of Tamil Nadu.

Jana Nayagan would have released a day before Parasakthi, which also comes with its share of politics, as it is set in the 50’s and 60’s and has themes that relate to Hindi imposition.