Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan': Makers Approach Supreme Court In Ongoing Censorship Row
'Jana Nayagan' was pushed from its Pongal release date of January 9 after failing to obtain a censor certificate in time.
The makers of Vijay's Jana Nayagan have approached the Supreme Court in their ongoing legal battle against the CBFC. On Monday, the producers of the Tamil-language film — positioned as Vijay's last screen outing before venturing into full-time politics — moved the Supreme Court challenging an interim order of the Madras High Court. The interim order, passed on January 9, had stayed an earlier direction to the CBFC to issue a certificate to the film immediately.
The legal tug-of-war between the CBFC and Jana Nayagan makers has thrown in the film's future into uncertainty. Hyped as the first big Tamil release of 2026, Jana Nayagan was pushed from its Pongal release date of January 9 after failing to obtain a censor certificate in time. The makers approached the Madras High Court alleging that the CBFC chairman referred their film to a revising committee despite its examining committee recommending a U/A 16+ certificate. The referral was reportedly based on a single member's complaint. The board felt that the film's portrayal of the armed forces as well as certain other scenes required reexamination.
The producers of the film had invested about ₹500 crore and planned a worldwide release on January 9, but the release was pushed because the CBFC informed them on January 5 that it would not accept the examining committee’s recommendation.
On January 9, The Madras High Court directed the CBFC to grant the film a U/A certificate. However, the same day, the High Court stayed the direction passed by a single bench of the court following an appeal by the CBFC. Currently, the film's release is held up at least until January 21. However, it may avail some relief if the Supreme Court intervenes in time.
Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan (titled Jana Neta in Hindi) is one of the most anticipated films of the year, especially considering it marks Vijay's final screen appearance. The film, a charged, big-canvas political thriller, also features Bobby Deol, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju and Priyamani.