What did the CBFC change in Vijay's ‘Jana Nayagan’? Full list of 12 edits revealed

Thalapathy Vijay's much-awaited film ‘Jana Nayagan’ has moved one step closer to its theatrical release after receiving certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Although the makers have not officially announced a revised release date, the film is now expected to arrive in cinemas by the end of July.

The CBFC has awarded ‘Jana Nayagan’ an A certificate. Certification records available on the board's official website show that the film was cleared on Thursday, July 9, with a final runtime of 183 minutes and 11 seconds, which is approximately three hours and three minutes.

The board ordered a series of changes before granting certification, but the film's overall duration remains unchanged.

The certification document reveals that the CBFC directed the makers to carry several modifications, including changes to dialogues, visuals and certain references.

CBFC orders 12 modifications before release

One of the changes involves visuals showing Dr BR Ambedkar on the cover of a book. The sequence has been modified, while a dialogue containing the words "Ambedkar... to... TVK sattam" has been replaced. The mention of "TVK" has also been muted and modified in both the audio and visual portions of the film.

The board further instructed the makers to remove a sequence featuring the Indian national flag.

Several words have also been muted, including "Bhagavathan", "Ranganathar", "Thevidiya Paiya" and "Oththa".

Dialogues and visuals changed

The CBFC also sought changes to a dialogue explaining Operation Meluha. The word "OM" has been removed wherever it appeared in that conversation. In the same sequence, a reference to the hanging of Saddam Hussein has been muted or replaced.

Another change relates to a scene involving a District Collector's office badge. The board directed the makers to replace the visual in which the badge is shown being rolled down in what it described as a disrespectful manner.

The entire dialogue beginning with "Ponnoda... kuduthu vachirukkanu, Udambu erukkunu" has also been muted.

Additionally, a dialogue containing the words "India en kalla vizha vaikaren" has been muted. A visual involving a child burning has been deleted and replaced, while the word "Siluvailla" has also been muted.

The CBFC also instructed the production team to replace the name "Sheela Rani" wherever it appears in the film.

Overall, the board ordered 20 seconds of deletions and 10 seconds of replacements, while keeping the final runtime unchanged at 183 minutes and 11 seconds.

Certification process took several months

Although ‘Jana Nayagan’ has now received its certificate, the certification process took longer than expected.

The film was originally submitted to the CBFC in December 2025. Reports at the time suggested that KVN Productions had been informed that the film would receive a U/A 16+ certificate. However, the process reportedly changed after objections were raised by a member of the examining committee, leading to the film being referred to a revision committee.

The CBFC did not issue the certificate for several months, citing due process. The certification has now been completed, with the board granting the film an A certificate on Thursday.

Cast and release expectations

Directed by H Vinoth and backed by KVN Productions, ‘Jana Nayagan’ stars Vijay in the lead role alongside Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol and Mamitha Baiju.

‘Jana Nayagan’ was originally scheduled to release on January 9, 2026, but the date was postponed.

While an official announcement on the new release date is still awaited, ‘Jana Nayagan’ is currently expected to reach theatres by the end of July.