Vijay's Jana Nayagan censorship row timeline: From CBFC legal battle to 5-minute clip leak

Vijay Thalapathy’s political action thriller Jana Nayagan continues to be caught in a censorship row. On top of that, rumours are circulating that a five-minute clip from the film has been leaked. One hassle after another. As the release date is still uncertain, take a look at the complete timeline of the legal proceedings from the beginning.

Last year, in June, marking Thalapathy's 51st birthday, the makers of the film revealed the first teaser of the most anticipated Jana Nayagan. Following this, Vijay also shared a new poster from the film.

In late December, after the CBFC granted Jana Nayagan's certification, the only request was to cut 27 scenes from the film, alleging that it would hurt religious sentiments and had potentially misrepresented the armed forces. In response to this, the producers agreed to the request and moved further to release the trailer on January 3.

Days before the original release on January 9, the film landed in legal trouble after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) stated to the Madras High Court that the film would be examined once again by a newly appointed censor committee. This happened after the producers resubmitted the film after making the changes.

On January 5, 2026, the producers took action against CBFC and filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking a certificate, citing their massive investment and scheduling issues.

On January 9, the film experienced a slight relief. The Madras High Court asked the CBFC to issue a U/A 16+ certificate for Vijay's film Jana Nayagan. The high court ordered censor clearance and asked the CBFC to clear the film for release.

The single judge's order that had directed the CBFC to issue a U/A 16+ certificate for Jana Nayagan was put on hold. The CBFC filed an appeal, arguing the film's referral to a revising committee was legitimate and, hence, it was not released in theatre.

In a video shared by KVN Productions, Venkat K. Narayana has addressed people who have been waiting for Vijay's last film before his full-fledged entry into politics.

"To everyone who has been waiting for our film Jana Nayagan with immense love and anticipation, we extend our sincere gratitude," he said.

"Over the past few days, we have received countless calls and messages, and each one reminds us how deeply this film is already loved. We wish to place certain facts before you while respectfully acknowledging that the matter is currently subjoined, which limits what we can and cannot say.

After facing a hold on the certification's grant, KVN Productions moved to the Supreme Court of India over the delay in its Pongal release. The Supreme Court declined to intervene in the case and sent the producers back to the High Court.

Following hours of hearing, on January 20, the Madras High Court Division Bench deferred the verdict putting a hold the movie' s release.

The scheduled release date was further delayed after the court remanded the case for a fresh hearing, noting that the CBFC had not been given the required time to file its counter-affidavit.

Months after facing the certification hurdles, the CBFC reportedly sought help from Election Commission and referred Jana Nayagan to them due to the political content and the Tamil Nadu elections.

Amidst all, one more PIL petition was filed against the film, stating that the film should not get its ground until the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are over. It was said that the release of the movie at the crucial time of election may turn out to be advantageous.

On April 9, several high-quality clips from the movie began circulating on social media, causing another setback to Thalapathy and the film. One of the viral clips features Vijay’s introduction scene.

Hours after the scenes got leaked, the makers have taken a legal action.