Only the ‘Supreme’ Can Save Jana Nayagan Now?

In a major setback for Thalapathy Vijay’s farewell outing Jana Nayagan, the Madras High Court has reserved the much awaited judgement on the case relating to censor certificate controversy for January 9th, which is also the same day on which the film is originally scheduled for release.

This shocking development came as a big shock to the Vijay and the makers of Jana Nayagan because there is a very slender chance for the film to release on January 9th unless they move the Supreme Court immediately and file a house motion petition to list the case for hearing on Thursday. 

Even if the Supreme Court delivers judgement in its favour, the team should get censor clearance tomorrow to make sure that at least Tamil version of Jana Nayagan hits the screens without any delay on January 9th. The other versions can release on the next day after getting clearance. 

If the film fails to get any relief in Supreme Court, it will be a huge blow for the openings as premiere shows will be cancelled and overseas revenues will be impacted due to loss of a crucial weekend irrespective of the festival advantage. 

After hearing the arguments on Tuesday, the High Court has directed the CBFC to place all records before it for perusal and to deliver the judgement. However, it didn’t pass the orders today and reserved it for Friday morning which will stall the release plans because the censor certificate has not yet been issued by CBFC without which the film cannot release as per the schedule. 

It was already brought to the notice of the court that the film was submitted to CBFC on December 18 for censor scrutiny. But, the board recommended some modifications and cuts which the production house acceded to and resubmitted the edited copy within a week. The CBFC, however, didn’t issue certificate and delayed the process after an unverified complaint was filed against some scenes in the film. 

All this chaos has prompted the makers to reach the Madras High Court only for relief. Now, it all comes to one final day which is tomorrow. The chances look bleak as of now unless the team approaches Supreme Court and secures order in its favour. 

Made on a staggering budget, Jana Nayagan is carrying huge expectations because Vijay has bid goodbye for films to take up full time politics with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party.