'Jana Nayagan' timeline: How censor board row and piracy leak delayed Vijay's final film

CHENNAI: What began as a routine certification process for Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan' snowballed into one of the most prolonged censor controversies in recent Tamil cinema, involving the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), multiple court proceedings, election-related scrutiny, and even a high-profile piracy leak.

Despite the controversy, 'Jana Nayagan' has crossed Rs 15 crore in domestic advance bookings, with trade analysts projecting a Rs 50-60 crore opening day. Vijay's first release as Chief Minister and his final acting project is directed by H Vinoth, produced by KVN Productions, and also stars Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, Bobby Deol and Prakash Raj, among others.

Ahead of the film's release tomorrow (July 23), here's a complete timeline of how the controversy unfolded.

Certification and legal battle

1. December 18: KVN Productions submits 'Jana Nayagan' to the CBFC's Chennai regional office for certification ahead of its Pongal release.

2. December 22: The 5-member Examining Committee recommends a U/A 16+ certificate, subject to 27 cuts and modifications, which the producers accept.

3. December 24: The revised version, incorporating the suggested changes, is resubmitted to the CBFC.

4. January 5: 'Jana Nayagan' producers receive an email stating that the film has been referred to a Revising Committee under Rule 24 following a complaint by an Examining Committee member alleging:

• Religious sentiments could be hurt.

• Indian Armed Forces were improperly portrayed.

• Film suggests foreign elements are fuelling religious unrest.

5. January 6: KVN Productions files a writ petition in the Madras High Court challenging the delay in film certification.

6. January 7: The makers indefinitely postpone 'Jana Nayagan''s January 9 release.

7. January 9 (Morning): Justice PT Asha, sitting as a single judge, rules in favour of the film's producers:

• Quashes the January 5 communication.

• Directs the CBFC to immediately grant an U/A certificate.

• Calls the complaint an "afterthought".

• Observes that, "once the Examining Committee's recommendation was accepted on December 22, the Chairperson no longer had the authority to refer the film to a Revising Committee."

The judge also observes, "Such a volte-face by a member... would give rise to a dangerous trend of members reneging on their recommendation... the sanctity placed on the decision of the Examining Committee... would stand eroded."

8. January 9 (Evening): CBFC immediately appeals before a Division Bench, which stays the single judge's order, observing that the Censor board had not been given adequate time to file a counter-affidavit.

How the legal proceedings on Jan 9 transpired: Hours after CBFC ordered to clear Jana Nayagan, Madras HC puts the brake on it

9. January 12-15: 'Jana Nayagan' producers move Supreme Court. On January 15, the apex court declines to intervene, sending the case back to the High Court.

10. January 20: The Division Bench hears arguments and reserves its verdict; CBFC argues it was denied a proper hearing while producers argue the complaint came from within the committee that had already cleared the film.

11. January 27: In a major setback for the producers, the Division Bench sets aside the single judge's order. Judges on the bench are quoted saying, "The single judge ought not to have gone into the merits of the complaint without giving the CBFC sufficient opportunity to file its counter-affidavit." The case is remitted to a single judge for a fresh hearing, and the producers are allowed to amend their petition to directly challenge the chairperson's referral order.

12. Feb 9–10: Realizing that prolonged litigation could delay the film indefinitely, KVN Productions shifts strategy. They submit a letter to the registry to withdraw their writ petition, electing to comply with the statutory CBFC Revising Committee to fast-track a theatrical release. Justice Asha officially dismisses the case as withdrawn.

CBFC review, delay and OTT setback

13. March 9: Censor board review postponed after a member of their revising committee reportedly falls ill.

14. March 12: 'Jana Nayagan''s OTT rights reportedly cancelled.

15. March 17: CBFC hands the DCP (Digital Cinema Package) to the applicant in Mumbai with due acknowledgement.

16. March 17: The film is screened for CBFC officials in Mumbai, following which the board seeks ECI's intervention on whether the content could impact the level playing field during the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. 

Piracy leak and crackdown

17. April 9: In a shocking turn of events, a five-minute high-quality clip (including Vijay's introduction scene) from 'Jana Nayagan' begins circulating on social media, followed by reports of the full HD print being leaked on piracy websites.

18. April 11: CBFC denies responsibility for the leak, calling reports that 'Jana Nayagan' was leaked from the board "baseless and false". It says access to the film is password-protected, with the KDM (Key Delivery Message) remaining solely with the producer, making unauthorised access impossible. The board also clarifies that the DCP was handed over to the applicant on March 17 and has remained with them since.

On the same day, KVN Productions issues a statement confirming the leak and warning of strict legal action.

19. April 12: The Cyber Crime Wing police of Tamil Nadu arrest six people in relation to the leak. 

20. April 15: State Cyber Crime Wing arrests three main accused in the case, including a freelance film assistant editor. The accused are S Prashanth, S Selvam, and Bala alias Balakrishnan. 

21. April 24: Southern India Film Editor's Association (SIFEA) suspends film editor Pradeep E Raghav for allegedly violating union bylaws and failing to prevent the illegal online leak of the film.

22. May 15: The State Cyber Crime Wing invokes preventive detention under the Goondas Act against three key accused in the 'Jana Nayagan' leak case.

23. May 25: Reports of some booking apps listing the film for June 19 (Vijay's birthday) emerge, but no official confirmation emerges.

24. June 3: Six more persons involved in the unlawful circulation and dissemination of the pirated movie content are arrested by the cyber wing.

Certification cleared for release

25. July 2: Around 1.2 crore people watched the present Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-starrer 'Jana Nayagan' online even before it received CBFC certification, police informs the Madras High Court. 

26. July 5: Sources tell DT Next that the film is likely to hit theatres later this month, with Vishnu Vishal's Irandu Vaanam, and Madhavan's GDN likely to put their release plans on hold. Tirupur Subramaniam, president of the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners and Exhibitors Association, said Vijay's son Jason Sanjay's Sigma too is likely to postpone its July 30 release to avoid clashing with the film.

Release countdown

27. July 9: CBFC grants the film an 'A' certificate after directing the makers to do 12 modifications in the film including removal of references to Dr BRAmbedkar and TVK, besides muting religious and politically sensitive dialogues.

The film has a runtime of 183 minutes and 21 seconds after 20 seconds of deletions and 10 seconds of replacements.

28. July 15: KVN Productions releases a new poster referring to Vijay as the Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and announces July 23 as release date.

29. July 22: On comparisons with the Telugu film 'Bhagavanth Kesari', H Vinot told PTI: "There is 50-50 (mix). There is deep sensitive politics. We took the core idea of fear from the original and explored it through a political lens and how fear functions politically."

30. July 22: Advance bookings for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s final cinematic outing, 'Jana Nayagan', open ahead of its Thursday (July 23) release; theatres report sold-out shows within minutes of tickets going live.

First-day-first-show screenings are scheduled to begin at 8.40 am across Tamil Nadu on July 23.