Jana Nayagan Censored: CBFC Mutes TVK References, Orders 12 Changes Before Vijay’s Big Release

After months of uncertainty, legal proceedings and piracy concerns, Vijay's much-awaited multilingual film Jana Nayagan has finally crossed a major milestone. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has cleared the political thriller for release, paving the way for its theatrical arrival later this month.

The film, widely regarded as Vijay's final acting venture before stepping fully into politics, has been awarded an A certificate by the CBFC. The certification, issued on Thursday, July 9, is now reflected on the board's official website.

According to the certification details, Jana Nayagan has a runtime of 183 minutes and 11 seconds, taking the film's duration to just over three hours. While the certification has now been confirmed, the detailed cut list is yet to appear on the CBFC portal.

The development comes after a prolonged wait. Jana Nayagan had originally been scheduled to release on January 9 but was postponed after the film failed to receive certification in time. The project had reportedly been submitted to the CBFC in December 2025 and was initially expected to receive a U/A 16+ certificate.

Instead, the certification process turned into a legal battle. Earlier this year, the Madras High Court's single-bench direction asking the CBFC to issue a U/A certificate was stayed by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan. The bench observed that the censor board had not been given sufficient opportunity to present its stand before the earlier order was passed.

Apart from the certification delay, the film also found itself at the centre of a major piracy controversy. In April, portions of Jana Nayagan surfaced online, prompting the production house to issue a legal notice warning of strict action against those responsible for circulating leaked footage.

The investigation soon gathered pace, with the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing identifying those allegedly involved through technical analysis and digital evidence. On April 15, authorities arrested three key accused, including a freelance assistant editor, in connection with the illegal circulation of the leaked content.

The Cyber Crime Wing also urged the public not to download, stream or share pirated material, warning that anyone found participating in digital piracy could face serious legal consequences.

The leak sparked strong reactions across the Tamil film industry, with stars including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Suriya and Sivakarthikeyan expressing concern over the incident while calling for tougher measures to combat piracy.

Although the film has now secured certification, it will reach theatres only after complying with several CBFC-mandated modifications. According to the certification document, the board has directed the makers to implement 12 changes across various scenes and dialogues.

Among the notable alterations, visuals featuring Dr BR Ambedkar on a book cover have been modified. A dialogue containing "Ambedkar... to... TVK sattam" has been altered, while references to "TVK" in both the audio and visuals have been muted or modified.

The CBFC has also instructed the removal of a sequence featuring the Indian national flag. Several words and phrases, including "Bhagavathan", "Ranganathar", "Thevidiya Paiya" and "Oththa", have been muted.

In another sequence explaining Operation Meluha, the word "OM" has been removed from the dialogue, while a reference to the hanging of Saddam Hussein has also been muted or replaced. The board further ordered changes to a scene involving a District Collector's office badge, stating that the visual should no longer depict the insignia being handled disrespectfully.

Additionally, a dialogue beginning with "Ponnoda... kuduthu vachirukkanu, Udambu erukkunu" has been muted, while another containing "India en kalla vizha vaikaren" has also been modified. A child-burning visual has been deleted and replaced, the word "Siluvailla" has been muted, and the name "Sheela Rani" has been replaced wherever it appears in the film.

Overall, the CBFC ordered around 20 seconds of deletions and 10 seconds of replacements. Despite the modifications, the film's final runtime remains unchanged at 183 minutes and 11 seconds.

Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan stars Vijay alongside Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol and Mamitha Baiju, with Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain and Priyamani playing pivotal roles. With the censor hurdle finally behind it, the much-awaited political thriller is now set for its theatrical release on July 24.