The producers of Vijay’s film Jana Nayagan withdrew their plea from the Madras High Court challenging the CBFC’s referral to a revising committee. Justice P.T. Asha allowed the withdrawal, paving the way for certification review and possible U, U/A, or A rating.
CHENNAI: The producers of Jana Nayagan, featuring Vijay, have withdrawn their petition from the Madras High Court challenging the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) decision to refer the film to a revising committee.
Justice P.T. Asha briefly heard the case and approved the withdrawal of the petition.
This means the CBFC’s revising committee will now review the film and decide whether to grant it an adult certificate (A certificate), an unrestricted certificate (U), or a certificate for viewing under adult supervision (U/A certificate).
Previously, a Division Bench of the High Court, consisting of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava and Justice Arul Murugan, had overturned a single-judge order that directed the CBFC to grant immediate censor clearance for the film, remitting the issue for fresh consideration.
It ruled that the single judge had erred by examining the merits of the complaint regarding the film’s content at the interim stage. The Division Bench accepted the CBFC’s appeal, annulled the single-judge order, and returned the case to the single judge for reconsideration.
The matter was brought before the single judge, at which point the producers opted to withdraw their plea.
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Jana Nayagan is being marketed as Vijay’s last film before his full-time political career commences, with its release originally scheduled for January 9, coinciding with the Pongal festival. The controversy began when the film was referred to a revising committee due to a complaint concerning its portrayal of defense forces and potential offense to religious sentiments. It was later revealed that the complaint originated from a member of the examining committee.
The producer, KVN Productions, had approached the High Court, alleging delays by the CBFC in issuing the final censor certificate, despite having complied with the cuts suggested by the examining committee. The filmmakers informed the Court that they had applied for censor certification on December 18, 2025.
After a personal hearing, the examining committee recommended that the film be granted certification under the ‘UA 16+’ category on December 22, 2025, citing depictions of violence, fight scenes, gory visuals, and brief references to religious sentiments as the basis for the age restriction. The committee instructed certain cuts and modifications, which the producers fully complied with, submitting a revised version of the film on December 24, 2025.
These changes were verified on December 29, 2025, leading the producers to be informed that the film would receive ‘UA 16+’ certification. However, the producers later received an email on January 5, indicating that the film was being referred to a revising committee under Rule 24 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules due to a complaint regarding religious sentiments and the portrayal of the armed forces.
In response, the producers went to the High Court.
On January 9, a single judge initially ordered the CBFC to expedite the film’s release in accordance with the recommendations of the examining committee. However, shortly afterwards, a Division Bench of the High Court stayed the single-judge ruling upon an urgent request from the CBFC.
The Supreme Court declined to intervene in this situation.
Subsequently, the Division Bench issued a final order on January 27, annulled the single-judge order, and remanded the matter for further reconsideration by the single judge.
Case Title: KVN Productions Vs Central Board for Film Certification
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