The Madras High Court resumed hearing on Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, with the verdict expected to decide whether the delayed Pongal release can finally move forward.
Jana Nayagan Certification Issue Reaches Madras High Court, Hearing Underway (Source: Instagram)
Jana Nayagan Movie Release Date Hearing: The Madras High Court has resumed hearing in the Jana Nayagan case, raising hopes among the film’s makers and fans of ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay that the legal hurdles delaying the movie’s release may finally be resolved. The outcome of the hearing will decide whether the political action drama can move closer to its theatrical release.
A division bench led by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan is currently hearing the matter. The Supreme Court has directed the High Court to deliver a decision on the case on the same day.
Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan is expected to be Vijay’s final film before he makes a full-time entry into politics. The movie was originally scheduled to release on January 9 as a Pongal festival special. However, days before the planned release, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) informed the producers that its chairman had decided to send the film to a revising committee.
Following this decision, the makers of Jana Nayagan approached the Madras High Court. During the proceedings, the CBFC stated that a new committee had been formed to re-examine the film. The board is expected to clarify on Wednesday whether this review process has been completed and what cuts or changes the filmmakers may need to make.
Initially, the movie received a favourable order on January 9 from Justice PT Asha of the High Court. She directed the CBFC to immediately issue a U/A 16+ certificate to the film. However, this relief did not last long.
Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, representing the CBFC, made an urgent submission before the Chief Justice. Soon after, the division bench stayed the single judge’s order. The court then scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 21, after the Pongal holidays.
The film’s producers later moved the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court division bench’s stay order. However, the apex court declined to entertain the appeal. Instead, it asked the Madras High Court to settle the issue on January 20. The Supreme Court also raised questions about the speed at which the case was being handled by the High Court.
Apart from Vijay, Jana Nayagan features Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Priyamani, and Narain in important roles. The film is produced by KVN Productions.
The political action drama has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander. Cinematography is handled by Sathyan Sooryan, while editing is done by Pradeep E Ragav.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice questioned whether the advisory panel was different from the CBFC itself and whether it was formed to support the board, given the difficulty of reviewing films from across the country. The Additional Solicitor General agreed with this view.
When the ASG said that the communication letter to the producers was issued by the advisory panel, the Chief Justice asked who had actually watched the movie and whether they were official board members. The ASG responded that the film was viewed by members of the examining committee, who are part of the advisory panel, and confirmed that the examining committee had watched the movie.
