There has been much speculation about whether a print of Vijay's final film Jana Nayagan got leaked online through Censor Board. Some argue that this is a deliberate act from CBFC to tarnish Vijay's reputation ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, whereas some others attribute it to a possible oversight from the board. Earlier this Saturday, Press Information Bureau (PIB) dismissed the rumour with an official statement.
Taking to X, PIB wrote, "Reports claiming that the Tamil film Jana Nayagan was leaked from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) are baseless and misleading. CBFC has clarified that it follows a secure KDM (Key Delivery Message) system for all theatrical films submitted for certification. Access to the content is password-protected, and the KDM remains solely with the producer/filmmaker. Without a valid KDM, the film cannot be accessed or viewed."
The statement further added, "The DCP (Digital Cinema Package) of Jana Nayagan was handed over to the applicant in Mumbai on 17 March with due acknowledgement, and has remained with them since."
In other words, the board has argued that it is technically impossible for them to leak the film from their side as they do not possess the password to the file and that they have not had access to it since March 17 this year. They are essentially pointing the finger back at whoever has had the drive containing the file in the recent past.
It is worth noting that neither KVN Productions nor Vijay blamed the Censor Board for the leak of the film online. There has been a legal battle between KVN Productions and the board around the certification of the film. The banner and Vijay have been vocal about the delay over the film's release due to a lack of censorship clearance. However, they have so far been more cautious with regard to the rhetoric over the leak.
Meanwhile, the producer issued a notice warning legal action against anyone who circulates the leaked print of the film. They characterised it as a "serious threat of digital privacy" and confirmed the initiation of forensic investigations to determine the source of the leak.
