Jana Nayagan’s CBFC Limbo Costs Big, Vijay Asks Makers To Pay Back Distributors

H Vinoth’s Jana Nayagan has been stuck with the Central Board of Film Certification for over six months now, and the financial toll is beginning to show. Actor Vijay has now reportedly stepped in, asking the production house KVN Productions to return the money paid by distributors who have been waiting for a release date that never came. What started as a Pongal release has turned into one of Tamil cinema’s most drawn-out certification disputes, with no clarity in sight even as the losses pile up on all sides.

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Vijay Asks KVN Productions To Refund Distributors

KVN Productions’ business head Mohan Suprith confirmed to SCREEN that the reports doing the rounds were true. He said that while talks were still ongoing, the production house had decided to refund the money to distributors, adding that it felt unfair to keep them waiting with no confirmed release date. According to sources, the call came directly from Vijay, given how long the film has been stuck without resolution.

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What Delay Has Cost Jana Nayagan

The financial damage runs deep. When the release was pulled back at the last minute after the film was sent to the CBFC’s revising committee, distributors had to refund crores worth of advance bookings. Trade analyst Ramesh Bala had told India Today that Jana Nayagan could have earned between Rs 150 crore and Rs 200 crore in Tamil Nadu alone, with projected box office losses of nearly Rs 100 crore. In January, the producers told the Madras High Court that Rs 500 crore was at stake for a film that had been announced for a release across 5,000 screens worldwide.

Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, representing the CBFC, questioned how the makers had invested crores and announced a release without certification. Adding to the makers’ troubles, the film was leaked online in HD in April, leading to the arrest of 15 individuals. Amazon Prime Video, which had acquired the digital rights for Rs 120 crore, also reportedly terminated its agreement with the producers over the delay, with the OTT platform threatening legal action. Director H Vinoth, speaking on SS Music, said he did not have the “courage” to talk about what had happened to the film. Producer Venkat K Narayana confirmed as recently as May that the CBFC had still not certified Jana Nayagan.