With the release of Vijay's much-anticipated Jana Nayagan postponed amid censorship woes, producer Venkat K Narayana of KVN Productions issued an official video statement on Friday, detailing the sequence of events and apologising to audiences and stakeholders for the unexpected delay. The action film, which was set to mark the actor's final film outing before his entry to politics, faced unexpected delays after it was unable to procure a censor certificate, leading to legal hurdles. It was eventually postponed from its initial release of January 9.
"To everyone who has been waiting for our film Jana Nayagan with immense love and anticipation, we extend our sincere gratitude," Venkat K Narayana began, adding, "Over the past few days, we have received countless calls and messages, each reminding us how deeply this film is already loved."
Explaining the certification process, the producer said the film was submitted to the CBFC on December 18, 2025, and viewed by the examining committee. "On December 22, 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 the audiences," he shared.
However, he said that they did not receive a formal certificate despite "repeated follow-ups." Just days before the planned release, on the evening of January 5, 2026, the makers were informed that the film had been referred to the revising committee based on a complaint.
"With time running out and without knowing who the complainant was, we approached the honourable High Court," he noted. After hearings held on January 6 and 7, Justice PT Asha directed that the U/A 16+ certificate be issued. "But the CBFC challenged this decision immediately, and an interim stay has now been granted on the order to issue the certificate," he added. After a hearing before the Chief Justice of Madras HC on Friday evening following an appeal by the CBFC, the Court stayed the single judge's order made by Justice PT Asha. A verdict on the case will be out on January 20.
Apologising to all parties affected by the delay, 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 the audiences as planned, but these developments were beyond our control."
Calling the situation emotionally draining, he also highlighted the significance of the film for Vijay. "This has been an extremely emotional and difficult moment for everyone who has poured their heart, soul, and years of hard work into this film. Above all, we firmly believe that Thalapathy Vijay sir deserves the farewell that he has earned through decades of love from his fans and respect from the industry."
Concluding the statement, Venkat K Narayana reaffirmed the team's faith in the legal system. "We have complete faith in the judicial process and remain hopeful that the film will reach the audiences at the earliest," he said, underlining that it is the audience's "patience, belief, and unwavering support" that gives them the strength to clear all issues.
Directed by H Vinoth, the film stars an ensemble cast which includes Mamitha Baiju, Bobby Deol, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Priyamani, Pooja Hegde, Narain and others. While there is a long-standing speculation that Jana Nayagan is the remake of Nandamuri Balakrishna's Bhagavanth Kesari (2023), and the trailer also seems to suggest the same, the makers are yet to confirm any details about it.
Jana Nayagan has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, camera work by Sathyan Sooryan and editing by Pradeep E Ragav. It is co-produced by by Jagadish Palanisamy and Lohith NK.
