Madras HC orders U/A 16+ certificate for Vijay’s ‘Jana Nayagan’, CBFC moves appeal

The Madras High Court on Friday directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue a U/A 16+ certificate to Jana Nayagan, the Vijay-starrer whose theatrical release was delayed following a dispute over its censorship clearance. The CBFC has since moved an appeal against the order and sought a stay.

The film, directed by H. Vinoth, completed post-production and was submitted for certification in December. During the examination process, one member of the examining committee objected to certain scenes, alleging that they hurt religious sentiments and portrayed the Armed Forces in a negative manner. These objections were escalated to the CBFC chairperson.

However, the remaining four members of the committee recommended that the film be granted a U/A 16+ certificate, subject to specific modifications. The producers accepted and implemented the suggested changes. Despite this, the dissenting member maintained that their concerns had not been adequately addressed.

On the basis of this representation, the CBFC chairperson referred the film to a revising committee, resulting in a delay in certification and the postponement of the release.

Justice P.D. Asha, while delivering the order, said that a review of the records made it “crystal clear” that the grievance raised by the dissenting member appeared to be an afterthought. The court warned that entertaining such objections at a late stage would encourage a “dangerous trend” capable of undermining the statutory certification framework.

The high court held that the CBFC chairperson’s communication dated 6 January, referring the film to a revising committee, was without jurisdiction.

It observed that once the examining committee had recommended a U/A certificate with modifications and the filmmakers had complied, the certificate should have been issued. The judge added that the authority to order a review effectively ceased once the chairperson had conveyed that certification would follow subject to cuts.

Following the ruling, the CBFC filed an appeal challenging the order and sought an interim stay. Additional solicitor general A.R.L. Sundaresan mentioned the matter before Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, seeking an urgent hearing. The chief justice-led bench indicated that the appeal would be taken up after it is formally filed, while the CBFC requested that the matter be heard on Monday, 12 January.

Jana Nayagan stars Vijay in the lead role, with Mamitha Baiju, Pooja Hegde, Prakash Raj, Bobby Deol, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Priyamani in key roles. The film has drawn particular attention as it is expected to be Vijay’s final release before his full-time foray into politics.

Meanwhile, another high-profile Pongal release, Parasakthi starring Sivakarthikeyan, has also encountered censorship issues. The CBFC has reportedly suggested 38 cuts to the film, which director Sudha Kongara is said to have declined, with the matter likely to be taken up by a revising committee.

With IANS inputs