CM Vijay's Jana Nayagan gets A rating after 7-month standoff with censor board
CM Vijay's Jana Nayagan has been cleared with an A certificate by the Cental Board of Film Certification after nearly a seven-month delay. The film is expected to hit theatres in the third week of July.
After nearly seven months of uncertainty, court battles, piracy leaks and countless rumours, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay's Jana Nayagan has finally cleared the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with an A certificate. This brings an end to one of the most unprecedented certification delays in recent Tamil cinema. The film's runtime now stands at 3 hours and 3 minutes.
While the censor certificate was uploaded to the official CBFC website, the cut list is still awaited. According to reports, Jana Nayagan, Vijay's farewell film, is expected to hit theatres on July 23 or July 24. An official confirmation is awaited.
January release to seven-month standoff with CBFC
Jana Nayagan was originally scheduled to be released on January 9 ahead of the Pongal holidays and three months prior to Vijay's first-ever electoral contest. The film was submitted to the CBFC on December 19, 2025, but instead of receiving a certificate within the usual timeline, it became embroiled in an unusually prolonged certification process.
The examining committee initially sought modifications. After the producers incorporated the suggested changes and resubmitted the film. At that time, the makers revealed they were informed by the CBFC that the film was fit for U/A certificate.
However, an examining committee member, who saw the film, filed an internal complaint suggesting that certain scenes from the film could hurt public sentiments. After the complaint, the process stalled and the makers were advised to send the film to the revising committee. Also, unconfirmed reports claimed that Jana Nayagan's release could prove influential to Vijay ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, which was scheduled on April 23.
On January 6, KVN Productions, the production house, filed a petition at the Madras High Court seeking their help in expediting the process.
With weeks turning into a whole month and no decision forthcoming, production house KVN Productions approached the Madras High Court, arguing that the delay had jeopardised the film's scheduled release. However, the legal proceedings failed to immediately resolve the impasse, leaving the film stuck in limbo. After a month and a visit to the Supreme Court, KVN Productions withdrew the petition and sent the film to the revising committee.
When piracy leak worsened the crisis
The delay took a dramatic turn in April when a high-definition copy of Jana Nayagan was leaked online before the film had even received CBFC certification.
The Tamil Nadu police arrested several people in connection with the leak, including a freelance film editor. During a subsequent hearing, the prosecution informed the Madras High Court that the pirated version had been watched by nearly 1.2 crore people before authorities managed to block access to it.
Investigators alleged that the leaked edit was assembled from footage copied from an editing suite before eventually making its way onto piracy websites.
Rumours, fake certificates and release speculation
As the months passed, social media was flooded with speculation over the film's fate.
Just days ago, a fake CBFC certificate claiming that Jana Nayagan had received an A certificate went viral before the X account that shared it admitted it had been fabricated. The forged document was later found to have been modelled on Vijay's Leo censor certificate, adding to the confusion among fans.
Speculation over the release date also intensified after overseas distributors hinted at a July 24 theatrical release, while reports suggested the film could also arrive on July 23 depending on the makers' final strategy. Canadian distributor York Cinemas had even announced a July 24 release for overseas audiences before any official confirmation from KVN Productions.
With the censor hurdle now cleared, all eyes are on KVN Productions for the official release date announcement.
About Jana Nayagan
Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan stars Vijay alongside Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj and Narain. Widely called Vijay's final film, the project has generated unprecedented anticipation, making its seven-month certification delay one of the most closely followed episodes in recent Tamil cinema.