Tamil action drama Jana Nayagan, widely billed as Thalapathy Vijay’s final film before his full-time political plunge, is unlikely to release anytime soon after the Madras High Court on Tuesday set aside a single-judge order that had directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to immediately grant censor clearance.
The Division Bench, allowing an appeal filed by the CBFC, held that the single judge had gone beyond the scope of judicial review by examining the merits of the complaint raised against the film’s content.
The matter has now been sent back to the single judge for reconsideration.
Jana Nayagan (People’s Leader) was scheduled to hit theatres on January 9, coinciding with the Pongal festival.
The date carried symbolic weight, as it was meant to mark Vijay’s transition from a screen icon to a full-time politician through his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava and Justice Arul Murugan observed that the single judge had erred in delving into the substance of the allegations made against the film instead of confining the inquiry to the legality of the certification process.
“Single-judge ought not to have gone into merits. Decision of the writ court has to go, the appeal is allowed and the impugned order is set aside. The writ petitioner is given opportunity to amend the writ petition,” the Division Bench order stated.
With the order now set aside, the film’s release stands delayed once again.
Earlier, on January 9, the Division Bench had stayed the single-judge’s direction on the ground that the Central government had not been given sufficient time to file its response to the producers’ plea.
The legal setback for the makers deepened on January 15, when the Supreme Court declined to entertain a petition filed by the producer challenging the Division Bench stay and the delay in the grant of the final censor certificate.
The dispute traces back to the certification process initiated in December.
According to submissions before the court, the producers, KVN Productions applied for censor certification on December 18, 2025. Following a personal hearing, the Examining Committee, through a communication dated December 22, 2025, recommended certification under the ‘UA 16+’ category.
The age restriction, the committee noted, was based on depictions of violence, fight sequences, gory visuals and brief references to religious sentiments. Certain excisions and modifications were also suggested.
The producers told the court that these changes were fully implemented and that a revised version of the film was resubmitted on December 24, 2025. The modifications were verified on December 29, after which, they were informed that the film would be granted ‘UA 16+’ certification.
Despite this, the producers received an email dated January 5 stating that the film had been referred to a Revising Committee under Rule 24 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules.
The referral was based on a complaint alleging improper portrayal of defence forces and the potential to hurt religious sentiments.
Alleging unexplained delay despite compliance with all suggested cuts, KVN Productions approached the Madras High Court. The single judge granted relief, directing the CBFC to issue the certificate, but that order was promptly stayed by the Division Bench following the appeal.
On Tuesday, the Division Bench finally set aside the single-judge order, restoring the matter for fresh consideration.
The legal wrangling has done little to dampen public interest in the film. According to online ticketing platform BookMyShow, Jana Nayagan has already generated over one million expressions of interest.
A look at the film’s page shows that more than a million users have clicked the ‘I’m interested’ button, opting to be notified once advance bookings open.
