I&B ministry’s move to block Jana Nayagan attacks Tamil culture: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Centre of attempting to block the release of Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan, calling it “an attack on Tamil culture” and asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would never succeed in suppressing the voice of the Tamil people.

Rahul Gandhi’s remarks came a day after the producer of Jana Nayagan approached the Supreme Court challenging an interim order of the Madras High Court, which stayed a single-judge directive directing the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant the film clearance.

On 9 January, a division bench of the Madras High Court stayed the order passed by justice P.T. Asha, which had directed the CBFC to immediately issue the censor certificate. The decision has left the fate of the film — widely publicised as actor-turned-politician Vijay’s final movie before his full-fledged political entry — in limbo.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “The I&B Ministry's attempt to block Jana Nayagan is an attack on Tamil culture. Mr Modi, you will never succeed in suppressing the voice of the Tamil people.”

KVN Productions LLP, the film’s producer, has filed an appeal against the division bench’s order. The film, which carries political overtones, was slated for a Pongal release on January 9 but ran into last-minute hurdles after the CBFC did not issue certification in time.

Justice Asha’s single-judge verdict had set aside the CBFC’s referral of the film to a revising committee, directing the board to grant clearance. The division bench, comprising chief justice M.M. Shrivastava and justice G. Arul Murugan, stayed the order on appeal by the CBFC, noting that the board had not been given sufficient opportunity to file its response.

The bench also clarified that the 6 January letter from the CBFC, referring the film to the revising committee, was not under challenge. It issued a stay, ordered notice to the producer, and posted the matter for hearing on 21 January.

Senior legal officials, including additional solicitor general A.R.L. Sundaresan and solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appeared through video conferencing to argue the grounds for the CBFC’s appeal.

As the legal tussle continues, Jana Nayagan remains one of the most anticipated releases in Tamil cinema, both for its cinematic appeal and its significance in Vijay’s political journey with his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

With PTI inputs