The final verdict on Jana Nayagan censor row is set to arrive on January 27 with Madras High Court's Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan delivering their judgement following the writ appeal filed by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) against Justice PT Asha's order to grant U/A 16+ certificate to the movie.
The action drama which will be Vijay's final film outing before his entry to full-fledged politics, has been facing censor-related woes from December 2025, which led to its postponement from January 9.
During the recent hearing on January 20, Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, appearing for the CBFC, informed the court that the examining committee’s recommendation to remove 14 portions from the film was only an “intermediary step” in the certification process. He clarified that the CBFC chairperson is yet to arrive at a final call on Jana Nayagan.
Explaining the sequence of events under the Cinematograph Act, the ASG told the Chief Justice that the producers were formally informed on January 6 that the film was being referred to a revising committee, even though earlier communication had suggested that the board had already reached a decision. He added that the CBFC did not get adequate time to file a counter affidavit when the matter was listed the very next day, January 7, before a single judge of the High Court.
The decision of sending the film to a revising committee comes after a member of the advisory committee, who watched the film initially and submitted suggestions, raised a complaint, which highlighted that the film misrepresented certain religious sentiments and did not consult with the armed forces before adding their logos to the film.
Justice PT Asha's ordered to grant the film a U/A 16+ rating on January 9 after which the board filed an urgent appeal to the division bench led by the Chief Justice of Madras HC, against judgement. The court later stayed the single bench's decision.
During the hearing on Tuesday, the Chief Justice sought clarity on who had issued the communication sending the film for revision: the CBFC’s Chennai regional office or its Mumbai headquarters. The court was told that the message originated from the board’s Mumbai office.
Sundaresan reiterated that the recommendation of 14 cuts should not be seen as final, stressing again that the chairperson’s approval is still pending. He also questioned the producers’ claim that Jana Nayagan had been made on a budget of ₹500 crore, raising concerns over the decision to announce a release date even before the certification process was completed.
After the hearing, the Madras HC reserved its judgement on the appeal.
Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan , which marks Vijay's final film outing before his entry to politics, stars an ensemble cast which includes Mamitha Baiju, Bobby Deol, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Priyamani, Pooja Hegde, Narain and others. On the technical crew, it has as music composed by Anirudh, camera work by Sathyan Sooryan and editing by Pradeep E Ragav. It is co-produced by by Jagadish Palanisamy and Lohith NK.
