In the wake of censor-related issues faced by Vijay's Jana Nayagan and Sivakarthikeyan's Parasakthi, actor-politician Kamal Haasan has issued a strong statement underscoring the need to protect artistic freedom while calling for greater transparency and accountability in the film certification process.
Taking to his social media handles, he shared a note titled 'For Art, For Artists, For the Constitution' where he emphasised that the Constitution of India guarantees freedom of expression guided by reason. Kamal Haasan noted that such freedom should never be undermined by opacity. "This moment is larger than any one film; it reflects the space we accord art and artists in a constitutional democracy," he stated, highlighting that filmmaking is not the labour of an individual alone but the combined effort of writers, technicians, performers, exhibitors, and numerous small businesses.
"When clarity is absent, creativity is constrained, economic activity is disrupted, and public trust is weakened. Tamil Nadu and India's cinema lovers bring passion, discernment, and maturity to the arts," he wrote, while asserting that they deserve openness and respect from institutions.
Kamal Haasan called for a principled relook at certification mechanisms, urging "defined timelines, transparent evaluation processes, and written, reasoned justifications for every suggested cut or edit." "This is also a moment for the entire film industry to unite and engage in meaningful, constructive dialogue with our government institutions," he added.
Such reforms, he underlined, are essential not only to safeguard creative freedom but also to uphold constitutional values and strengthen India’s democratic institutions by reaffirming trust in its artists and its people.
Earlier today, Pa Ranjith had also voiced out his concern in the issue. "What has happened to Jana Nayagan shows that the censor board has fallen into misleading and improper guidance. Moreover, such a regressive approach, where efforts are made aggressively to suppress dissenting or alternative voices, must be strongly condemned," he said, sharing his experience of facing similar pressures during the release of many of his films.
Jana Nayagan, which has been facing censor woes from December 2025, has been pushed from its initial release of January 9. Since then, many celebrities including actors and directors like Silambarasan, Ravi Mohan, Jiiva, and Karthik Subbaraj, among others extended their solidarity with the film's team and to Vijay. After a hearing before the Chief Justice of Madras HC on Friday following an appeal by the CBFC, the Court stayed the single judge's order made by Justice PT Asha which granted U/A 16+ certificate. The next hearing for the writ appeal is scheduled for January 20.
Parasakthi also faced similar censor-related issues and was finally granted a U/A certificate by the CBFC on Friday. Although the film released on Saturday, several scenes from the Sudha Kongara-directorial were met with the censor board's axe which included muting and replacing of many words.
