Last-minute drama: Jana Nayagan censor certificate hearing pushed to January 7

Chennai: The Madras High Court continues to examine the delay in issuing a censor certificate for Thalapathy Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, with the CBFC now stating the film will undergo a re-examination. The multi-language release, planned for January 9, is pending the final certification.

Makers insist film is ready for U/A certificate

During the hearing, the production house’s counsel argued that all CBFC concerns have been addressed and the film is fit for a U/A certificate. They highlighted that Jana Nayagan has already secured certification in 25 countries, and the only obstacle to its Indian theatrical release is the pending CBFC certificate.

The counsel added that the certification panel had previously screened the film and were initially satisfied with its content. However, a decision to re-examine the certificate was later taken based on inputs from an individual who had not watched the film, which the makers termed irregular.

During the hearing, Justice P T Asha directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to produce a copy of the “complaint” it had received concerning the film. The judge then posted the next hearing for Wednesday, January 7.

The production house had filed the plea seeking a court directive to the CBFC to issue the U/A certificate in time for the movie’s pan-India release.

CBFC procedure under scrutiny

The production team pointed out that any reconsideration of certification must follow the prescribed legal process under CBFC rules, akin to an appeal, which should go before the revising committee. Despite submitting all requested cuts and modifications, the final administrative act of issuing the certificate remains pending.

Multi-language release plans at risk

Jana Nayagan was scheduled for a simultaneous release across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada on January 9. Repeated requests for timely certification have been made, but the production team claims no response has been received. The court has yet to pass further orders, leaving the pan-India release in suspense.

What happens next

The CBFC has now agreed to re-review the film, but the timing of the certificate issuance will determine whether the release schedule can be maintained. Industry observers note that any further delay could impact advance ticket bookings and box office expectations for one of Vijay’s most anticipated films.