Chief electoral officer calls circumstances of Vijay's film Jana Nayagan unprecedented as Tamil Nadu elections approach

Vijay's final film Jana Nayagan was supposed to hit screens in January for Pongal but was delayed due to no certification from the CBFC.

Actor and TVK chief Vijay’s final film, Jana Nayagan, was supposed to be one final celebration for his fans in theatres this Pongal before he enters politics. However, the film that was supposed to hit screens in January was delayed due to no certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Now that the Tamil Nadu elections approach and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) kicks in, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Archana Patnaik says the ball is in the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) court.

H Vinoth's political drama Jana Nayagan is supposed to be Vijay's final film.

Election Commission to decide Jana Nayagan’s release?

CEO Archana spoke to the press on Thursday to brief them on the preparations underway for the TN elections on April 23. When asked if the MCC will even permit Jana Nayagan to be released now, even if the film is certified by the CBFC, she called it an “interesting question”.

Archana also stated that the situation surrounding Vijay’s film is “unprecedented” and that the ECI will have to take a final call on the film's release during or before the elections. She also stated that the ECI will take appropriate action. This means that no final decision on the film’s potential release might be made without clearance.

CBFC fails to show up to watch Jana Nayagan?

This comes amid news earlier this week that the CBFC failed to turn up in Chennai to watch a revised version of Jana Nayagan to certify it, as per The Week. A conflicting report by DT Next states that the film has been sent to the ECI for review after the CBFC watched it in Mumbai. The filmmakers haven’t publicly announced anything about the certification process.

The Week reported that the certification board first postponed the film's review from March 9 to 17, Tuesday. Then, Jeevitha Rajasekhar and TS Nagabharna reportedly did not turn up to watch it in Chennai. DT Next reported that the CBFC watched the film in Mumbai on Tuesday evening, and a source from the film’s team questioned why the ECI needs to review the film, which they don’t plan on releasing till election results are announced.

Jana Nayagan was supposed to hit screens on January 9 before Pongal, but the film was postponed as the CBFC did not provide certification. While the producers claim they were verbally informed that the film would be certified UA 16+, the CBFC claims that a member of the examining committee filed a complaint that the film could ‘hurt sentiments’. A revising committee has yet to watch and certify the film despite the producers approaching the court for relief.

H Vinoth's Jana Nayagan stars Vijay, Mamitha Baiju, Pooja Hegde and Bobby Deol in lead roles.