Jana Nayagan producer says Vijay's final film is yet to be certified by the CBFC despite the 5-month delay

This update comes days after there were reports that Vijay had asked the producer of Jana Nayagan to cut his Cannes visit short to discuss the issue.

Since December last year, H Vinoth’s Jana Nayagan has been stuck with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after it was sent to the revising committee days before its intended January release. Five months later, the film’s lead star, Vijay, has become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, an HD print of the film was leaked online a month before that, yet the film has not been certified.

Mamitha Baiju, Vijay, and Pooja Hegde in a still from the song Thalapathy Kacheri in Jana Nayagan.

Jana Nayagan yet to be certified by the CBFC

Producer of Jana Nayagan, Venkat K Narayana of KVN Productions, spoke to the press after he was spotted at a temple on Friday evening. While initially hesitant to reveal the film's status, he admitted it has yet to be certified. He also hoped that the certification would be done soon so they could release the film worldwide.

“This is not the place to talk about Jana Nayagan. I came for temple darshan. But as I told, we’re waiting for certificate to come. I am sure that they’re going to give it anytime soon. We’ll release at the earliest. This is not the place to talk about anything else, thank you. I came here to take God’s blessings,” said the producer.

When pressed to reveal more, Venkat said, “Release date will be (announced) as soon as we get censor certificate. We’ll announce it well in advance once the censor certificate is in our hands. And we’ll release it in a grand way throughout the world.” He also expressed happiness that much like their title, Vijay had truly become a people’s leader since then.

Talking about it, the producer said, “I came here for darshan and I am very happy that Vijay sir has become chief minister of Tamil Nadu. As you know, we have put the title Jana Nayagan. He has become Jana Nayagan of Tamil Nadu, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. I am very happy. That’s why I came for darshan.”

About Jana Nayagan

Jana Nayagan is directed by Vinoth and produced by Venkat with music by Anirudh Ravichander. The film was supposed to be released in theatres on January 9 for Pongal, but was postponed at the last minute. A member of the examining committee filed a complaint, prompting the film to be sent to the revising committee. The filmmakers received no relief from the courts.

According to an India Today report, Vijay contacted Venkat recently and asked him to return to Chennai from the Cannes Film Festival. The producer was there for industry meetings and screenings, but the actor-politician reportedly wanted him back so he could personally supervise the final stages of the film’s release. It remains to be seen whether Jana Nayagan, which also stars Mamitha Baiju, Bobby Deol and Pooja Hegde, will be released anytime soon.