Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's highly anticipated film, 'Jana Nayagan,' has finally been granted an 'A' (Adults Only) certificate by the CBFC, industry sources said on Thursday. 

The film, directed by H Vinoth - known for works such as 'Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru' and 'Nerkonda Paarvai' - received its censor certificate after a protracted seven-month battle.

A source from the Tamil Nadu Film Distributors' Association said the film will likely be screened in about 1,000 theatres in Tamil Nadu from July 24. Widely regarded as Vijay's final cinematic outing before his full-time pivot to politics, 'Jana Nayagan' is produced by Bengaluru-based KVN Productions.

The film's journey to certification was marred by significant delays, legal interventions and piracy issues. Originally slated for a January 9 2026 release ahead of Pongal, the film was submitted to the CBFC on December 19, 2025. According to reports, after the makers implemented modifications suggested by the examining committee, the film was initially considered suitable for a 'U/A' certificate. However, the process stalled when a committee member raised an internal objection, claiming certain portions could hurt public sentiments.

On January 6, KVN Productions approached the Madras High Court seeking directions to expedite the certification. After nearly a month of legal proceedings that reached the Supreme Court, the producers withdrew their petition and opted to present the film to the revising committee instead.

The controversy deepened in April when a high-definition version of the uncertified film leaked online. During proceedings at the Madras High Court, prosecutors noted that the pirated copy had been viewed by nearly 1.2 crore people before access was successfully blocked. The Tamil Nadu police subsequently arrested multiple individuals in connection with the leak, including a freelance film editor who allegedly sourced the footage from an editing facility.

'Jana Nayagan' features a prominent ensemble cast, including Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj and Narain. The film has music by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan, and editing by Pradeep R Ragav. It is said to be based on Anil Ravipudi's 'Bhagavanth Kesari,' though the makers have neither confirmed nor denied this.

Source: PTI

--Agencies