The standoff between the makers of Thalapathy Vijay’s final film Jana Nayagan and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) shows no signs of easing. Even after the film received relief from a single-judge bench of the Madras High Court on Friday morning, the decision was temporarily stayed later in the day by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava. The court has now scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 21, casting uncertainty over the makers’ plans to release Jana Nayagan during the Pongal holidays. Amid these developments, producer Venkat K Narayana took to social media on Friday night detailing the sequence of events surrounding the film’s certification, while also addressing the uncertainty the team continues to face.
Jana Nayagan producer shares his side of the story; what happened with CBFC
In the video, uploaded on the official Instagram handle of KVN Productions, Narayana noted that while the matter is sub judice, limiting what he can disclose, he felt it was important to place certain facts on record. He said:
“The film was submitted to the CBFC on 18 December 2025 and was viewed by the examining committee. On 22 December 2025, we received an email stating that the film would be granted a U/A 16+ certificate, subject to a few changes. We incorporated the suggested changes and resubmitted the film, believing we were finally ready to share our work with you and release the film. However, the formal certificate was still awaited, and follow-ups were being made for the same.”
He further explained that just days before the planned release, the film was unexpectedly referred to the revising committee, based on a complaint from an individual whose identity the makers were not informed of. He said,
“Then, just a few days before our planned release, on the evening of January 5, we were informed that the film had been referred to the revising committee based on a single complainant. With time running out to approach the revising committee, and without knowing who the complainant was, we approached the honourable High Court.”
Elaborating on the subsequent legal proceedings, Narayana added: “After hearing the matter on January 6 and 7, the court directed this morning that a U/A 16+ certificate be issued. However, the CBFC immediately challenged this decision, and the order to issue the certification is currently stayed, with an interim stay having been granted.” The producer also issued an apology to all those affected by the delay, including audiences eagerly awaiting the film’s release.
Vijay film Jana Nayagan’s release remains uncertain.
‘Thalapathy Vijay sir deserves the farewell he has earned through decades’
He said, “We sincerely apologise to our audiences, distributors, exhibitors, and all other stakeholders who stood by us during this difficult period. As you know, we made every possible effort to bring this film to audiences as planned, but these developments were beyond our control. This has been an extremely emotional and difficult moment for everyone who has put their heart, soul, and years of hard work into this film.”
Reiterating the significance of Jana Nayagan as Thalapathy Vijay’s farewell film, Narayana concluded: “Above all, we firmly believe that Thalapathy Vijay sir deserves the farewell he has earned through decades of love from his fans and the respect of the industry. Your patience, belief, and unwavering support give us strength. We have complete faith in the judicial process and remain hopeful that the film will reach audiences at the earliest.”
Film industry lends support to Vijay
As fans continue to voice their support for the film, several industry veterans have also questioned the CBFC’s approach. On Friday evening, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma took to X to describe the censor board as “outdated.” In a lengthy post, he wrote, “It (CBFC) has long outlived its purpose, but it’s being kept alive out of laziness to debate its relevance now, and it is the film industry as a whole which is mainly responsible for this.” He further added, “Social media is full of political venom, communal poison, character assassinations, live, uncensored shouting matches in the name of debates. And in this reality, for the honourable censor board to believe that cutting a word in a film, trimming a shot, or blurring a cigarette will ‘protect society’ is a joke.”
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Jana Nayagan is not the only film to have found itself entangled in certification issues ahead of Pongal. Sivakarthikeyan’s Parasakthi, also slated for release during the festive period, was denied certification until Friday afternoon. The CBFC eventually cleared the film with a UA 16+ certificate, along with 25 cuts, paving the way for its release on Saturday.
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