Dealing yet another blow to the makers of director H Vinoth’s ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan, a division bench of the Madras High Court set aside the January 9 single-judge order directing the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to give a U/A 16+ certificate to the movie. On Tuesday, January 27, the division bench, comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan, also sent the matter back to single-judge Justice PT Asha for fresh consideration, leaving the release of the political action drama uncertain for the time being.
What Madras HC said in Jana Nayagan case
Pointing out that Justice Asha should have given the CBFC ample time to file a counter affidavit before pronouncing an order in a hurried manner, the division bench stated that the single judge, however, is now at liberty to decide whether the CBFC’s move to refer Jana Nayagan to the revising committee is correct or not, news agency PTI reported. The court has also allowed KVN Productions LLP, the producer of the movie, to seek an early disposal of the case. The division bench has asked the makers of the movie to amend their prayer and also challenge the certification board chairperson’s order referring the movie to the revising committee.
Jana Nayagan Release Date Hearing Live Updates: No release in sight for Vijay-starrer as Madras HC sets aside its Jan 9 order; sends matter back to single judge
Why Vijay fans are concerned over Jana Nayagan delay
Since the court had completed hearing all arguments in the appeal filed by the CBFC challenging the January 9 order of the single judge on January 20, it directly delivered its verdict on Tuesday without further delay. Although the makers of the movie and Vijay’s fans were hopeful that they would finally receive relief from the High Court this time, their dreams were crushed, with the matter being directed back to Justice Asha for fresh consideration.
Amid the ongoing controversy, fans are worried if the movie will get a green signal from the court, and subsequently the CBFC, before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections is put in place. Once the poll code comes into force, Jana Nayagan might face further delay, as the movie reportedly carries several political references. Nonetheless, as the division bench has asked the single judge to decide the matter expeditiously, and since the polls aren’t expected until April-May, it may very well receive court relief soon, paving the way for its release.
KVN Productions’ struggles
However, the inordinate delay in the release of Jana Nayagan has posed a major crisis for Venkat K Narayana’s KVN Productions, which has invested a large amount in the Vijay-starrer. KVN Productions was hopeful that it would be able to recoup the budget and reap a massive profit from Jana Nayagan by the time its next big-ticket movie, director Geetu Mohandas’ Yash-led Toxic, is ready for release, given that they had a gap of two months between the scheduled release dates of both movies.
Toxic is scheduled to hit screens on March 19, while Jana Nayagan was supposed to debut on January 9. However, with the Vijay-starrer’s release in limbo, KVN is likely to face a financially tight situation if the matter is not settled by the time the promotions for Toxic must begin in full swing. Aside from these two movies, the production company is also currently bankrolling the Kannada actioner KD: The Devil, starring Dhruva Sarja, Sanjay Dutt, and Shilpa Shetty in key roles.
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During the hearing on January 20, senior counsel Satish Parasaran, appearing for the movie’s makers, told the division bench of the Madras High Court that the producer had spent Rs 500 crore on Jana Nayagan. While reserving its order, which was subsequently delivered on January 27, the court made it clear that the makers cannot seek relief by pointing out their investment in the project. “The single judge ought to have given CBFC at least minimum time to file counter… The producer can’t seek relief citing release date and Rs 500 crore investment,” NDTV quoted the court as saying then. He had also disclosed that Amazon Prime has spoken about a possible lawsuit if the release date of the film remained uncertain.
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