The Madras High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on a plea filed by KVN Productions LLP seeking a direction to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue a ‘UA 16+’ certificate for the upcoming Tamil film Jana Nayagan, starring popular actor and TVK chief Vijay.
Justice P T Asha reserved orders after hearing arguments from both the petitioner and the CBFC, which has currently withheld certification following objections raised by a member of the examining committee.
The film, directed by H. Vinoth and featuring actors Vijay, Prakash Raj, Pooja Hegde, and Mamitha Baiju, was submitted for certification on December 18, 2025. On December 19, the examining committee reportedly recommended certain cuts and muting of dialogues. Even after the suggested changes were implemented, the certificate was not granted.
KVN Productions moved the High Court after the CBFC referred the matter to its Review Committee, allegedly following a complaint from one of the panel members who raised objections to 14 scenes in the film. The production house contended that a majority of the panel members had recommended certification and that the move to review the decision based on a single complaint was arbitrary.
Appearing for the CBFC, Additional Solicitor General A R L Sunderesan informed the court that one of the panel members had submitted a written complaint after viewing the film, claiming it “hurt religious sentiments.” He submitted that as per law, the Board has the authority to refer the matter to the Review Committee if it finds that further edits are needed, even after a panel recommendation.
“Only after receiving the complaint was the matter referred for review,” the ASG said, while producing the complaint copy before the court, as earlier directed by Justice Asha.
Senior Advocate Satish Parasaran, representing KVN Productions, argued that the process lacked transparency and violated procedural fairness. He stressed that a single dissenting view should not outweigh the majority decision of the examining committee.
“The producer has invested ₹500 crore and has already announced the release date as January 9, ahead of Pongal holidays,” he submitted. He urged the court to intervene, citing the commercial implications and the alleged procedural irregularities by the Board.
Parasaran also argued that while the Central Government has statutory powers to review a CBFC decision, the process followed in this case lacked transparency and led to undue delays.
During an earlier hearing on January 6, the court had orally asked the CBFC to produce the complaint that formed the basis of the referral to the Review Committee. The CBFC maintained in court that even though a release date has been fixed, the film can be released only after legal certification.
The court has reserved its decision on the matter. With the release date approaching and the certification pending, the final order will be critical in determining whether the film will hit theatres as scheduled.
