CM Vijay to work on Jana Nayagan release, calls producer back from Cannes

After taking office as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Joseph Vijay has reopened efforts to secure clearance for Jana Nayagan and asked producer Venkat to return to Chennai. The move puts his stalled farewell film back in focus.

In Short

• Vijay asks Jana Nayagan producer to return to Chennai
• Renewed focus on Vijay's farewell film and its release
• Jana Nayagan has been with the CBFC since December 2025

Actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay is set to revisit an unfinished chapter from his film career after assuming office as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. Vijay instructed Jana Nayagan producer Venkat K Narayana to return to Chennai to focus on the film's release. Jana Nayagan, billed as Vijay's farewell film, was earlier held up after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) denied clearance.

Sources also said Vijay has asked producer KVN Productions' Venkat, who was attending the Cannes Film Festival, to return to Chennai. He is now heading back amid the latest developments around the film.

Sources said efforts are now underway to secure the required approvals as the film has been lying with the revising committee for several weeks now. Once the clearance is issued, the makers are expected to get to work to facilitate the film's release.

Jana Nayagan vs CBFC

Jana Nayagan has been stuck with the CBFC since December over certain scenes that were said to have the potential to hurt public sentiments. The film was also reportedly held because of its political content, which was seen as potentially influential in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, in which Vijay took part for the first time as chief of his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), and eventually won.

After the CBFC flagged the scenes, the makers moved the court seeking a censor certificate ahead of the film's planned January 9 release.

That led to a month-long legal standoff and the film was eventually postponed. The makers later withdrew their case against the CBFC and agreed to send the film to the revising committee. Since then, there has been no official update on the certification process. More recently, there were reports that the film could release in theatres on May 8, but it has still not been certified, and the makers have not issued any statement on a new release date.

The film also ran into trouble after an HD print was leaked online on April 9. Following the leak, the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Police arrested nine people, including three key accused. One of the main accused was said to be a freelance editor who had illegally accessed the footage and uploaded it online.

After that, the film's editor, Pradeep E Ragav, was suspended by the editors' association for working with a freelance editor who was not part of the film body. The association said Pradeep was not directly involved in the leak, but took action for violating its bylaws.

About Jana Nayagan

Produced by KVN Productions, Jana Nayagan is a political action drama starring Vijay, Mamitha Baiju, Pooja Hegde, Prakash Raj, Bobby Deol, Gautham Menon and others, and has been reported to be mounted on a budget of Rs 500 crore.

With fresh efforts now said to be under way and Venkat returning to Chennai, the film's stalled release has once again come into focus.

- Ends