Dealing another blow to the makers of ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay, starring director H Vinoth Jana Nayagana division bench of the Madras High Court set aside the single judge’s January 9 order directing the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant U/A 16+ certificate to the film. On Tuesday, January 27, the division bench, comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan, also remanded the matter to single judge PT Asha for further consideration, leaving the release of the political action drama uncertain for the time being.
What Madras HC said in the Jana Nayagan case
Noting that Justice Asha should have given the CBFC enough time to file a counter-affidavit before hastily passing an order, the division bench stated that the single judge, however, is now free to decide whether the CBFC’s decision to refer Jana Nayagan to the review committee is correct or not, news agency. PTI reported. The court also allowed KVN Productions LLP, the producer of the film, to seek early resolution of the case. The division bench has asked the makers of the film to modify their sentence and also question the certification board chairman’s order referring the film to the review committee.
Jana Nayagan Release Date Listening Live Updates: No release in sight for Vijay starrer as Madras HC shelves its January 9 order; sends the matter back to the single judge
Why Vijay fans are worried about Jana Nayagan’s delay
Since the court had finished hearing all the arguments in the appeal filed by the CBFC against the single judge order of January 9 on January 20, it directly delivered its verdict on Tuesday without further delay. Although the makers of the film and Vijay’s fans were hopeful of finally getting help from the High Court this time, their dreams were crushed and the matter was referred back to Justice Asha for further consideration.
Amid the ongoing controversy, fans are worried whether the film will receive a green signal from the court, and subsequently the CBFC, ahead of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by 2026. Tamil Nadu Elections to the Legislative Assembly are organized. Once the electoral code comes into effect, Jana Nayagan could face further delays as the film reportedly contains several political references. However, as the division bench has asked the single judge to decide the matter quickly, and with elections not expected until April-May, it is quite possible that he will receive judicial relief soon, paving the way for his release.
The problems of KVN Productions
However, the coordinated delay in the release of Jana Nayagan has posed a major crisis for Venkat K Narayana’s KVN Productions, which has invested a huge amount in the Vijay starrer. KVN Productions was hoping to recover the budget and make huge profits from Jana Nayagan by the time her next big-ticket film, directed by director Geetu Mohandas’ Yash, arrives. Toxicis ready for release, given that there was a two-month gap between the planned release dates for both films.
Toxic is scheduled to hit the screens on March 19, while Jana Nayagan was supposed to debut on January 9. However, with the release of the Vijay starrer in limbo, KVN is likely to face a difficult financial situation if the matter is not resolved before the promotions of Toxic are set to begin in full swing. Apart from these two films, the production house is also currently bankrolling the Kannada action film KD: The Devil, starring Dhruva Sarja, Sanjay Dutt and Shilpa Shetty in key roles.
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During the hearing on January 20, senior advocate Satish Parasaran, representing the makers of the film, told the Madras High Court division bench that the producer had spent Rs 500 crore on Jana Nayagan. While reserving its order, which was subsequently passed on January 27, the court made it clear that the manufacturers cannot seek compensation by pointing to their investment in the project. “The single judge should have given CBFC at least minimum time to file its counter… The producer cannot seek relief citing the release date and investment of Rs 500 crore.” NDTV he quoted the court as saying then. He also revealed that Amazon Prime has discussed a possible lawsuit if the film’s release date remains uncertain.