Madras HC reserves verdict in Jana Nayagan censor case; what’s the controversy around Vijay’s final film?
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Madras HC reserves verdict in Jana Nayagan censor case; what’s the controversy around Vijay’s final film?")
Vijay Photograph: (Instagram)
On January 20, the Madras High Court reserved its verdict on an appeal filed by the Central Board of Film Certification, leading to further delay in the release of Vijay's final film, Jana Nayagan.
The uncertainty around the release of Vijay's last film, Jana Nayagan, continues to remain after the Madras High Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on an appeal filed by the Central Board of Film Certification. CBFC had challenged a single judge’s direction to grant a U/A 16+ certificate to the much-anticipated film, which was earlier planned to be released on January 26.
The Madras HC verdict
As per reports, the hearing concluded on the writ appeal, which brought the latest round of legal proceedings in the high-profile case to a close. The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan said that a new date for pronouncing the verdict will be announced later.
This means Jana Nayagan will not be released as per the plan. The political action drama, which is touted as Vijay's final film before his full-fledged political entry, was initially slated to release on January 9, but it was stalled after a certification dispute.
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What's the controversy?
The matter began in December 2025, when Jana Nayagan was submitted to the CBFC. The producers claim that the film was viewed by the examining committee on December 19, and with some cuts, they recommended a U/A 16+ certificate. These changes were made, and the edited version was resubmitted on December 24.
However, days later, the board withheld the certification following a complaint, which was filed by one of the examining committee members regarding concerns about the portrayal of armed forces. Then on January 5, 2026, the film was referred to a nine-member revising committee, leading the makers to move to court.
On January 9, Justice P.T. Asha of the Madras High Court quashed the CBFC chairman’s decision to refer the film to a revising committee and directed the board to grant a U/A 16+ certificate. Soon after, CBFC challenged this order before the Division Bench, which stayed the single judge’s ruling the same day.
The producers, KVN Productions, also approached the Supreme Court. However, on January 15, it declined to interfere with the interim stay but directed the Madras HC to hear the appeal expeditiously. Acting on this, the High Court resumed and completed the hearing on January 20.
About Jana Nayagan
Directed by H. Vinoth, the film features Vijay in the lead alongside Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Priyamani, and Narain. Jana Nayagan is produced by KVN Productions, with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander.
