3 minutes of readingBombayFebruary 3, 2026 20:39 IST
Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, which was scheduled to release in theaters during Pongal, missed its deadline after a prolonged stalemate between producers and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Despite court cases related to the issue, there is still no clarity on when the film will hit theaters. Adding to the uncertainty, the censorship board has refused to share any information about the certification process.
According to a report in The Hindu, when contacted to verify reports doing the rounds in film circles that production house KVN Productions had agreed to refer the film to a review committee, CBFC Chennai Regional Officer D. Balamurali said the law does not allow the disclosure of any information related to the certification process.
The report quotes the official as saying, “I don’t have any information. Even if I have it, I cannot reveal it at this time. Our entire examination process is confidential. We cannot reveal anything until a certificate is issued. Sharing such information is prohibited by law. The public will only know when the film is certified. At that time, we will communicate through our portal.”
Amid the continued uncertainty, trade analyst Ramesh Bala told India Today that the impact goes beyond farmers. Tamil Nadu Cinemas, he said, are facing losses exceeding Rs 100 crore due to stalled release. Bala explained that Jana Nayagan was highly anticipated as it is Vijay’s last film before entering politics, and a Pongal release would have made it a “jackpot” for theater owners who were expecting big business.
“Pongal was supposed to witness the clash between Vijay’s Jana Nayagan and Sivakarthikeyan’s Parasakthi. However, the film’s release was stalled. Vijay’s film could have easily grossed Rs 150-200 crore in Tamil Nadu alone. Parasakthi earned Rs 55 crore in Tamil Nadu.” He added, “Since there is no expected revenue, the Tamil Nadu box office could have lost nearly Rs 100 crore due to the delay of Jana Nayagan.” Echoing these concerns, Chennai cinema owner Ruban Mathivanan of GK Cinemas said the delay of Jana Nayagan has disrupted the Tamil film release schedule for the coming months.
With no clarity on the release date of the film after the Madras High Court recently referred the matter to a single judge for another hearing, Vijay also took up the issue. In an off-camera conversation with NDTV’s Rahul Kanwal, the actor spoke about the Jana Nayagan censorship row. The journalist shared that he was impressed by Vijay’s calm and clarity during the interaction, but noted that Thalapathy “feels bad” for his producer Jana Nayagan as the film remains unreleased. Vijay also said that he “expected” his films to come under attack due to his presence in politics.