Actor-politician Vijay has reportedly instructed production banner KVN Productions to cancel all existing theatrical agreements for his upcoming film Jana Nayagan.

According to reports, the distributors who had purchased the theatrical rights are now set to receive full refunds.

According to The Indian Express, during a conversation with SCREEN, Mohan Suprith, business head of KVN Productions confirmed, “While we are still in talks, we have decided to refund the money to the film distributors. We felt it was unfair to keep them in loop, while we are still waiting for a possible release date.”

The move comes amid continued delays surrounding the release of Jana Nayagan, which has been stalled for the past five months.

Reports indicate that complications related to the CBFC certification process have added to the uncertainty over the film’s theatrical release.

Earlier this year, the Madras High Court stayed a single-bench directive to CBFC to grant UA certificate to Jana Nayagan. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan stayed the order, noting that the CBFC was not given adequate time to respond

In April, the production house issued a legal notice warning of action against those involved in piracy after portions of the film surfaced online.

According to an official statement, the arrests took place on April 15 after a thorough technical review and analysis of digital evidence.

Issuing a public advisory, the Cyber Crime Wing strictly warned against downloading, streaming, or forwarding pirated content, stating that any involvement in digital piracy will invite strict legal consequences.

Following the leak, Tamil industry stars like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Suriya and Sivakarthikeyan expressed their shock and called for stricter measures against piracy

The Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing has arrested three main accused, including a freelance assistant editor, in connection with the illegal circulation of leaked content from Jana Nayagan, the police said in a statement.

Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan also features Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol and Mamitha Baiju, alongside Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain and Priyamani.

Billed as Vijay’s final film before his political entry, the political thriller was initially slated for release on January 9, but was postponed after the Central Board of Film Certification did not certify it on time.