The release of Thalapathy Vijay’s upcoming film, ‘Jana Nayakan’, has been temporarily halted by the Madras High Court. The court’s division bench imposed a stay until January 21, responding to a challenge initiated by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) regarding the film’s U/A certification.
Court Proceedings and CBFC’s Challenge
Difficulties surrounding ‘Jana Nayakan’s’ release intensified following a second hearing on January 9 at the Madras High Court. Previously, a single judge bench had directed the CBFC to issue a U/A certificate. However, the CBFC contested this decision, filing a writ petition and requesting the formation of a Revising Committee for a re-examination of the film.
Following the CBFC’s challenge, the Chief Justice’s bench intervened, issuing a temporary stay on the film’s release and scheduling the next hearing for January 21. During proceedings, the bench remarked that the CBFC should have been afforded adequate time to raise its objections against the film’s certification.
Filmmakers Questioned Over Release Date
The division bench, comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan, also questioned the filmmakers’ decision to set a release date prior to obtaining the necessary certification. The bench stated, “You don’t have a certificate, how can you release the film? You cannot fix the release date nor pressure the system.”
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing KVN Productions, argued that despite the film’s review by the certification panel, only one board member had lodged a complaint. He reminded the court that ‘Jana Nayakan’ was initially slated for a January 9 release. This marks a further delay, as the film’s production house, KVN Production, had previously announced the postponement of the January 9 release due to “reasons beyond our control.”
