Amid the ongoing row over certification delays, Thalapathy Vijay’s much-awaited film Jana Nayagan has been postponed. Distributors of the film in Europe and Malaysia confirmed the development in a post on X on January 7. The film was originally scheduled to release on January 9.
RFT films, the movie's overseas distributor, made the announcement in a post on X. The poster of the movie read "release postponed" with the caption "Even a lion takes two steps back before the final leap".
Trouble for Vijay's Jana Nayagan film
The postponement has brought renewed focus on the regulatory process for film releases, with the Central Board of Film Certification yet to clear the movie. In the absence of certification, the makers approached the Madras High Court seeking urgent relief. The court has reserved its order in the matter.
The delay comes even as theatres in Tamil Nadu had begun advance ticket sales for Jana Nayagan, triggering an unprecedented rush. Reports said black market prices soared, with tickets being sold for as much as Rs 5,000, far above the government-prescribed cap of Rs 190 per ticket.
Describing the frenzy, a fan said, "I've been running from one theatre to another and contacting fan clubs to get hold of the first-day first-show tickets of Jana Nayagan. The joy of seeing Vijay's films on the first day has been a ritual for me. But, this year, the demand is so high that they are quoting Rs 5,000 per ticket."
Jana Nayagan censor row
Directed by H Vinoth, Jananayagan features Vijay in the lead role alongside Prakash Raj, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju and others.
After completing all post-production work, the makers submitted the film for certification on December 18. The following day, on December 19, the examining committee of the censor board reportedly suggested the removal of certain scenes and the muting of some dialogues.
The production house, in its submission to the court, said that despite implementing all the changes recommended by the board members, the censor certificate has still not been issued.
Also read: Court reserves order on Thalapathy Vijay's film, decision likely on January 9 morning
