The Madras High Court heard the case regarding the censor certificate of Vijay's Jana Nayagan on Tuesday.
During the hearing, the producers claimed that Amazon warned them to sue, as there was no certainty regarding the film's release date.
Jana Nayagan was supposed to hit the screens on January 9.
The Madras High Court on Tuesday (January 20) reserved its verdict in the appeal filed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) against the single bench's order directing the board to issue a U/A certificate to Thalapathy Vijay's Tamil film Jana Nayagan. The highly anticipated film was scheduled for theatrical release on January 9, but was postponed due to censorship issues, followed by a legal battle.
During the hearing, senior advocate Satish Parasaran, who appeared for KVN Productions, claimed that Amazon warned of suing the producers as there was no certainty regarding the film's release date.
Jana Nayagan Amazon controversy
According to Live Law, during the hearing, Parasaran, representing the production house, stated that the producers approached the court after there was 'no communication' from the CBFC between December 25 and January 5, despite multiple requests for updates.
The senior advocate revealed that Amazon had warned the producers of a possible lawsuit due to the lack of clarity on Jana Nayagan's release date. He argued that they were provided with only a 'communication' and not a formal 'order' that could be contested in court, which led them choose legal path.
The advocate also argued that the producers were advised to reinsert previously deleted scenes before sending the film to the revising committee, which he called a ‘meaningless and empty exercise’.
The Additional Solicitor General (ASG), representing the CBFC, questioned the producers about announcing a release date before certification was granted. To this, the producers countered that no producer announces the release date after obtaining the certificate, and cited Dhurandhar 2 example, which has already announced a release date for March.
Jana Nayagan censor case
Originally, the film was submitted to CBFC for certification on December 18, 2025. The makers received an initial communication on December 22 that a U/A 16+ certificate would be granted after the recommended cuts were made. However, on Jan 5, 2026, there was a communication to the producers that there had been a complaint against the film, due to which they had referred the film to the Revising Committee. Following this, the makers filed a case against the censor board for the delay in issuance of the certificate.
