Thalapathy Vijay’s Jana Nayagan to be reviewed by fresh CBFC committee; uncertainty looms over January 9 release

Jana Nayagan marks Thalapathy Vijay’'s last film before his full-fledged political entry. (Credit: Facebook/@kvnproductions)

From “what all box office records will Vijay’s Jana Nayagan smash?” the conversation has suddenly veered to “will the political actioner hit the screens on the scheduled date?” owing to an inordinate delay in the movie getting a green signal from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Although Jana Nayagan’s makers moved the Madras High Court on Tuesday, January 6, they did not receive relief, and the hearing was adjourned until Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the CBFC informed the HC that a fresh committee has been appointed to review the movie again, NDTV reported. During the hearing, the court wondered what the need for urgency was and asked the petitioners, as reported by Cinema Express, “Why can’t the film’s release be postponed from the 10th?” Hence, the movie’s previously announced January 9 release is currently uncertain, much to the disappointment of its makers, lead actor ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay’s fans, and theatre owners. While advance bookings for the movie had opened in some states in a limited capacity, most theatres in Tamil Nadu have yet to commence ticket sales, owing to uncertainty over certification.

Interestingly, even director Sudha Kongara’s Sivakarthikeyan-led Parasakthi’s advance bookings haven’t started in full swing yet, despite the scheduled release date of January 10 fast approaching. Now, reports have emerged that Parasakthi is also facing a similar issue and that the movie is yet to receive CBFC certification.

Although uncertainty continues to loom over both films, Vijay’s fans remain hopeful that Jana Nayagan, the actor’s last film before his full-fledged political entry, will hit the screens on the stipulated date and are going all out to keep the buzz high. Meanwhile, Vijay fans’ resentment over Parasakthi hitting the screens alongside Jana Nayagan, creating a Pongal clash that could affect the Thalapathy film’s collection, seems to have reached a new low and the owner(s) of a theatre has stepped forward, alleging abuse by them for picking the Sivakarthikeyan movie. Sharing their ordeal on social media, Vasu Cinemas in Kumbakonam noted that it has, over the years, screened most of Vijay’s films and stated that it chose Parasakthi over Jana Nayagan this time for “several reasons.”

“Just because we don’t screen one particular film does not mean our respect or love for Thalapathy Vijay and his fans has reduced in any way. After we posted about signing Parasakthi, we received comments on X and Instagram that were shocking. We urge you to read them yourselves and ask, were they fair or justified in any sense? The level of abuse, vulgarity and curses went so far that it seriously disturbed our mental peace. Please take a moment to reflect. Deep down, you all very well know how much support we have consistently given to Thalapathy Vijay’s films,” a note shared via the theatre’s official X (formerly Twitter) page read.

However, his fans were in no mood to back down and launched a fresh attack against the theatre in the comment section. While one netizen wrote, “He (Vijay) helped revive theatres during Covid time. And yet we’re here reading explanations from theatre owners on why they can’t screen Jana Nayagan,” another user noted, “No use in following you here after. Lost the respect. You gained everything from VJ Anna and now joined the Red Giant Mafia and started the cheap work.”

Although Jana Nayagan is undoubtedly the most hyped movie among those hitting the screens during the Pongal/Sankranti season, the primary factor is that it marks Vijay’s last outing before taking a full plunge into politics. Aside from that, Jana Nayagan hasn’t managed to pique audience interest in any other way, and even its recently released trailer garnered only mixed reactions from fans.

Parasakthi, on the other hand, has already captured hundreds of eyes with its intriguing theme and a trailer that offers enough glimpses into the period political drama’s grand world. At the same time, Parasakthi has also beaten Jana Nayagan in total views for their respective trailers. While Jana Nayagan’s official Tamil trailer amassed 40 million views and 1.3 million likes in less than three days on YouTube, Parasakthi’s trailer has received 43 million views and 4.64 lakh likes in less than two days.