Jana Nayagan editor not involved in HD print leak, says association president Gopi while addressing allegations

Editors and Employee Federation presidents, Gopi and RK Selvamani, held a press meet in Chennai to deny Jana Nayagan's editor's involvement in the leak.

The South Indian Film Editors Association president, Gopi, and the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) president, RK Selvamani, spoke to the press on Monday to address allegations regarding the Jana Nayagan leak. At the conference at FEFSI headquarters in Chennai, they denied editors' involvement in the leak, claiming that an internal inquiry has cleared them. (Also Read: Film federation president RK Selvamani compares Vijay's Jana Nayagan leak to ₹500 crore bank heist: ‘System is flawed’)

Actor-politician Vijay starring political thriller, Jana Nayagan, was leaked online before its release.

Editors Association president on Jana Nayagan leak

According to news agency ANI, Gopi strongly denied any editor’s involvement in the leak of Jana Nayagan. He stated that the ‘editors will never do this kind of work’ and clarified that ‘an internal inquiry had already been conducted by their team’ in the matter. Given that six unnamed individuals have already been arrested so far and a report has already been filed, he added that ‘the main accused behind the alleged leak will be arrested soon.’ At the conference, Gopi also spoke about how people are pointing fingers at Pradeep, the editor of Jana Nayagan, after the videos that leaked online indicated it was an edit copy. He stated that Pradeep should not be accused without proof, as the investigation is still going on.

FEFSI president RK Selvamani responds to allegations

Director Ameer had earlier accused Jana Nayagan's editors and crew members of being involved in the leak. Selvamani hit out, saying that Ameer should retract his accusations against the editors and crew. He also cautioned that such incidents will increase as digitalisation advances. “Piracy is not new and has been an ongoing issue in the film industry, and steps are being taken to create systems to control such leaks and avoid similar incidents in the future,” he said. This comes after he also told the press that the film's leak was a ‘systemic failure,’ placing the onus on the central and state governments for justice.

CBFC denies involvement in Jana Nayagan leak

Initially, when an HD print of Jana Nayagan was circulated on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube and other platforms on April 9, fingers were also pointed at the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which had delayed certifying the film. In a statement, the board said: “Reports alleging that the Tamil film 'Jana Nayagan' has been leaked from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) are baseless and false.”

The statement added, “Access to the content is password-protected, and the KDM remains solely with the producer/filmmaker. Without a valid KDM, the film cannot be accessed or viewed. The DCP (Digital Cinema Package) of 'Jana Nayagan' was handed over to the applicant in Mumbai on 17 March with due acknowledgement, and has remained with them since.”

Jana Nayagan, Vijay’s last film before entering politics, was supposed to be released in January but was postponed due to delayed certification. Even as a release date has not been announced, the film was leaked online.