Actor-turned-politician Vijay reportedly restarted efforts to secure the release of his much-delayed film Jana Nayagan after taking office as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The latest development comes after Vijay allegedly asked producer Venkat K Narayana of KVN Productions to immediately return to Chennai from the Cannes Film Festival to focus on the stalled project.
According to a report in India Today, Venkat, who was attending Cannes, has now cut short his visit and is heading back to Chennai following Vijay’s instructions. Fresh efforts are reportedly being made to obtain clearance for the film, which has remained stuck with the revising committee of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for several weeks.
Billed as Vijay’s farewell film before his full-time political journey, Jana Nayagan has faced multiple hurdles since late last year. The film was reportedly denied clearance by the CBFC over scenes believed to have the potential to hurt public sentiments.
There were also reports suggesting that the movie’s political themes raised concerns due to their possible influence during the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, where Vijay contested as the chief of his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
After objections were raised, the makers approached the court seeking a censor certificate ahead of the film’s planned January 9 release. However, the legal battle continued for nearly a month before the team decided to withdraw the case and submit the film to the revising committee instead. Since then, there has been no official update regarding certification.
Rumours recently suggested that the film could hit theatres on May 8, but with no censor certificate issued so far, the makers are yet to announce a new release date.
The project also landed in controversy after an HD version of the film leaked online on April 9. The Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Police later arrested nine individuals, including three key accused, in connection with the leak. One of the accused was reportedly a freelance editor who illegally accessed and circulated the footage online.
Following the incident, editor Pradeep E Ragav was suspended by the editors’ association for allegedly working with a freelance editor who was not registered with the film body. While the association clarified that he was not directly involved in the leak, disciplinary action was taken for violating association rules.
Produced by KVN Productions, Jana Nayagan is a political action drama featuring Vijay alongside Mamitha Baiju, Pooja Hegde, Prakash Raj, Bobby Deol, and Gautham Menon. The film is reportedly mounted on a massive budget of Rs 500 crore.
