After suffering a string of setbacks, ‘Jana Nayagan,’ touted to be Actor-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister (CM) C Joseph Vijay’s exit project from Kollywood (Tamil film industry), has finally received a green signal for theatrical release by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on Saturday, sources said. The body directed the filmmakers to implement a series of modifications.

As per the CBFC certification details accessed by a renowned media organisation, the H Vinoth directorial has a certified runtime of 180 minutes. Before the certification was granted, the Board asked the makers to conduct seven deletions and three replacements, all of which have now been incorporated into the final version.

The certificate, dated July 3, 2026, has listed KVN Productions as the applicant.

What changes did the CBFC seek?

The CBFC advisory required several edits aimed at ensuring compliance with certification guidelines. Among the key modifications sought by the CBFC are:

Tamil text must accompany names of all places displayed on the screen
Tobacco health disclaimers have been corrected and enlarged wherever they appear
An 8-second narcotics disclaimer in both Tamil and English has been added at the beginning of the movie
Several expletives (cuss words) have been muted
The duration of violent scenes, including killings, blood splatter, repeated stabbing sequences and injury shots, has been reduced
A fight sequence has been modified by removing visuals of flying teeth and altering certain slow-motion shots
A visual showing a severed ear during a fight has been removed
The word ‘Classic’ has been removed from a cigarette brand shown in the movie
One dialogue has been muted
A blast sequence has been altered by replacing the visual of a flying ankle

The makers have submitted copyright documentation for songs used in the film, allowing them to remain in the final cut

Film’s long and unusual certification journey

The film’s path to certification has been far from straightforward. The board’s examining committee initially reviewed Jana Nayagan in December 2025 and reportedly recommended a U/A 16+ certificate after suggesting certain edits, which the filmmakers brought into force. The film was originally slated to release on January 9, 2026.

However, the film further slid into troubles after a member of the examining committee reportedly objected to certain scenes and wrote to CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi. Following the objection, the film was referred to the Revising Committee for a fresh review.

The delay prompted the filmmakers to approach the Madras High Court (HC) and later the Supreme Court of India (SC), challenging the prolonged certification process. Sources had also indicated that the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) contributed to delays in issuing the final certificate.

About Jana Nayagan

Directed by H Vinoth and produced by KVN Productions, the film features Vijay, Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol and Mamitha Baiju in key roles.

The film has generated enormous buzz, not only because it features Vijay in the lead role but also due to its prolonged certification process. It also suffered an online leak in May 2026, and a report by news agency PTI suggested that a freelance assistant editor and several other persons were arrested in connection with the same.

With the CBFC process ending, Jana Nayagan is finally set to make its long-awaited arrival in theatres, bringing an end to one of the most closely followed certification sagas in recent Tamil films.