Tamil Nadu chief minister and actor Vijay’s Jana Nayagan film has been cleared for release after the Central Board of Film Certification awarded the film an “A” (suitable for adults only) certificate, ending a months-long certification process that delayed its theatrical release, Scroll has learnt.
Jana Nayagan was originally scheduled for release on January 9, ahead of Tamil Nadu’s harvest festival, Pongal
It was submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification on December 19, which requested several changes. According to reports, after the makers implemented the modifications suggested by the examining committee, Jana Nayagan was initially considered suitable for a “U/A” certificate.
A U/A certificate allows children below the age of 12 to watch a film under parental guidance.
However, the certification process reportedly stalled when a committee member raised an internal objection, claiming certain scenes could hurt public sentiments, leaving the film without the censor certificate required for its release in India, PTI reported.
The film is now due to be released worldwide on July 24, the producers told The Indian Express.
Directed by H Vinoth and produced by KVN Productions, Jana Nayagan stars Vijay as a former police officer who becomes a vigilante and takes on a criminal played by actor Bobby Deol.
The cast also includes actors Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain and Priyamani.
The film had been widely described as Vijay’s final film before entering full-time politics. However, it will now be released after he has already taken office as Tamil Nadu’s chief minister.
On January 6, KVN Productions approached the Madras High Court, seeking directions to expedite the certification process.
After nearly a month of legal proceedings, including a hearing before the Supreme Court, the producers withdrew their petition and instead chose to present the film to the censor board’s revising committee.
While the certification dispute continued, an unfinished high-definition version of the film was leaked online in April, The Indian Express reported.
During subsequent proceedings before the Madras High Court, prosecutors said the pirated copy had been viewed nearly 1.2 crore times before access was blocked, The Indian Express reported.
The Tamil Nadu Police later arrested several persons in connection with the leak, including a freelance film editor who allegedly obtained the footage from an editing website.
On July 2, the Madras High Court refused bail to two of the accused, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the continuing investigation, The Indian Express reported.
The prosecution also told the court that two suspects were still absconding and that their arrest was important to trace the financial transactions linked to the alleged piracy network.
Inputs from Nandini Ramnath. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.
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