Thalapathy Vijay’s much-anticipated film Jana Nayagan has cleared a significant legal hurdle, with the Madras High Court permitting the makers to withdraw their month-long case against the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The hearing took place before Justice PT Asha on Tuesday at 10:30 am. With the withdrawal approved, the filmmakers are now awaiting the decision of the revising committee regarding the film’s certification, which could be U, U/A, or A.
The producers had initially filed the writ petition after the CBFC delayed issuing the censor certificate, which led to an indefinite postponement of the film’s January 9 release. Justice PT Asha had previously directed the CBFC to issue a U/A 16+ certificate, but the board raised internal concerns about certain dialogues potentially hurting religious sentiments and the absence of a defence expert to examine Army-related emblems, which halted the certification process.
After the CBFC appealed the single bench order and the Supreme Court declined to intervene, the case returned to the Madras High Court. The Division Bench later set aside the single judge’s order and allowed a fresh hearing while permitting the petition to be amended. However, the Jana Nayagan team chose to end the legal battle and proceed with sending the film to the revising committee instead.
Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan is being promoted as Vijay’s farewell film. The star-studded cast includes Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Menon, Prakash Raj, and Priyamani. Reports suggest the makers are eyeing a February release, which is expected to be officially announced once the film receives its certification from the revising committee.
