CHENNAI: The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) recently cleared Chief Minister Joseph Vijay's upcoming film Jana Nayagan with an A certificate after directing the makers to carry out 12 modifications, including changes to dialogues, visuals and references to political, religious and national symbols.
According to the CBFC certification document dated July 9, 2026, the film has a runtime of 183 minutes and 21 seconds after 20 seconds of deletions and 10 seconds of replacements.
The visuals showing Dr BR Ambedkar on the cover page of a book have been modified wherever they appear.
The dialogue "Ambedkar sattam... to... TVK sattam" has been replaced.
References to "TVK" in both audio and video have also been removed or modified.
A visual showing the Indian National Flag falling on the ground has been deleted.
The words "Bhagavatham" and "Ranganathar" have been muted.
The words "T****a P*a" and "O***a" have also been muted.
The word "OM" has been removed wherever it is uttered.
The term "New India" used while explaining Operation Meluha has also been removed.
The dialogue "Thookula thudikiratha...panni," in connection with the hanging of Shri Saddam has also been muted or replaced.
A visual showing a District Collector's office badge being rolled down in a disrespectful manner has been removed and replaced.
The entire dialogue beginning with "Ponnoda... kuduthu vachirukkanum, Udambu erukkanum" has been muted.
The words "India en kalla vizha vaikaren" have been muted.
Child burning visuals appearing at two points in the film have been deleted and replaced.
The word "Siluvaila" has been muted.
The name "Sheela Rani" has been replaced wherever it is uttered in the film.
Jana Nayagan was originally scheduled to be released on January 9 ahead of the Pongal holidays and three months prior to the Assembly election in the state.
However, release plans were delayed after an examining committee member of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), who saw the film, filed an internal complaint suggesting that certain scenes from the film could hurt public sentiments. In April, a high-definition copy of the film was leaked online and the Tamil Nadu police arrested several people in connection with the leak, including a freelance film editor.
After months of uncertainty, the makers received relief when on July 9, Jana Nayagan was granted an 'A' certificate after multiple rounds of review.
Jana Nayagan's makers are reportedly preparing to unveil a new trailer that will officially announce the film's theatrical release date, according to a Daily Thanthi report. A source from the Tamil Nadu Film Distributors' Association had told DT Next that the film will likely be screened in about 1,000 theatres in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, Ahimsa Entertainment, the UK distributor of Jana Nayagan, has announced that the film will be released in British cinemas in its uncut version on July 24.
Jana Nayagan revolves around ideological enemies - one populist, one authoritarian meet again when a child's fear awakens old conflicts, pulling an ex-cop into a struggle beyond vengeance, as per the official synopsis.
The film stars Vijay in the lead, alongside Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Prakash Raj, Priyamani, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mamitha Baiju, and Narain in key roles.
Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan, editing by Pradeep E Ragav, and is produced by KVN Productions.