In earlier news, an single bench of the Madras High Court had directed the CBFC to certify Jana Nayagan immediately. But based on insufficient time to respond to it, it was stayed by the division bench.
Fans of the Tamil super star, Thalapathy Vijay, who had been looking forward to a treat for the festive occasion of Pongal, are now faced with a court room drama in the release of his new movie, Jana Nayagan, which was supposed to be a celebration of his last movie before entering politics.
This has drama further intensified as KVN Productions LLP, the producer of Jana Nayagan, have approached the Supreme Court on Monday morning. This appeal is against an order passed by a division bench of the Madras High Court, staying an earlier order passed by a single bench of the same court. This stayed an order of the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) to clear the film instantly.
What is the whole matter?
The problem arose when the CBFC denied certification for Jana Nayagan. The one-member bench of the Madras High Court passed a decree in favor of the producers on January 9, holding that the Board had to clear the certification.
However, in a sudden turn of events, the CBFC appealed to the division bench on the same day, and the earlier order was stayed, with the next hearing scheduled for January 20. The division bench was of the view that the single bench had not given a reasonable time to the CBFC to respond to the matter. This is a typical example of a tug-of-war situation in a court of law.
Producers move apex court
The producer’s side told the apex court that the certification process had already been in motion since December 2025. Initially, CBFC suggested some changes, which were agreed to by the producers. A revised version was submitted on December 24. And by December 29, the Regional Office of the CBFC at Chennai confirmed the film would be certified.
But a technical error in the CBFC portal prevented the final uploading process. The producers immediately informed the Board, but then things got interesting on January 5. The Chairperson, CBFC, decided to refer the film to Revising Committee following a complaint about content hurting religious sentiments and portrayal of armed forces.
Interestingly, the complaint came from a member of the Examining Committee that had already cleared the film. The single bench of the High Court later slammed this decision, saying the Chairperson’s move to refer the film after the Examining Committee’s approval was unjustified.
Court hearing is on January 20
The date for the hearing of the division bench has been fixed for January 20 and until then, the release of the movie remains in limbo. In the meantime, the producers’ case before the Supreme Court keeps the community on tenterhooks.
Also Read: Jana Nayagan censor controversy: Why the film landed in trouble and latest updates
