Pawan Kalyan on Jana Nayagan vs censor board: Makers shouldn't have gone to court

Pawan Kalyan, Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, commented on the ongoing controversy surrounding the censorship of Jana Nayagan. He also talked about his film OG receiving an A certificate.

In Short

• Pawan Kalyan discusses CBFC's handling of Jana Nayagan certification
• Kalyan stresses rules must be followed, regardless of government position
• He criticises the decision to seek legal action over CBFC's decision

Actor and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan commented on the ongoing standoff between the makers of Vijay's Jana Nayagan and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Speaking to Thanthi TV, Kalyan said that it is unfair to blame the NDA government regarding the film's delayed certification and provided insight into his own experiences with the board.

Jana Nayagan, directed by H Vinoth and starring Vijay, was supposed to release in theatres on January 9. However, it was postponed indefinitely as the CBFC has yet to issue its censorship certificate.

Speaking about his experience with the censor board, he said, "The Jana Nayagan issue was not handled well at the censor board level. They're blaming the NDA, and that's not right."

Explaining how his film OG was given an A certificate by the board, he said, "My producers and my director said, 'You're a part of the NDA, and your film has been censored A.' I asked him how he expected a U/A certificate with all the violence portrayed. I told him a rule is a rule and that it cannot be tailor-made for those who are a part of the ruling government."

Kalyan also revealed that the makers of OG re-applied to the board hoping for a U/A certification. "The CBFC still ended up giving an A certificate. Even if I used my connections to influence the CBFC, they would clearly tell me that governance and film censorship cannot be linked and that they're separate bodies."

The Ustaad Bhagat Singh actor talked about how he was asked to change the lyrics for a song, and he had to comply. "This happens to everybody. The makers of Jana Nayagan should not have approached the court for a solution. How can they blame the NDA government for this issue? If they had not gone to court, it would have been a completely different story. Once it goes to the court, the outcome is in the hands of the legal system," he said.

Jana Nayagan features an ensemble cast including Mamitha Baiju, Bobby Deol, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Priyamani, Pooja Hegde, and Narain. It has been speculated that the film could have traces of Telugu film, Bhagavanth Kesari, though the filmmakers have not confirmed this.

The film's technical team includes music by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan, and editing by Pradeep E Ragav. It is produced by KVN Productions along with Jagadish Palanisamy and Lohith NK.

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