Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, which was originally scheduled for a January 9 release, is now reportedly set to arrive in theatres on July 23. The makers have not announced an official date, but the buzz was kept alive when Jagadish Palani, the Chief Minister’s private secretary, posted an intriguing story on his Instagram.
He shared a motion graphic that read, “Alright the hype is real, can’t wait for 23rd.” Even though there’s no official confirmation yet, the secretary’s post makes it feel “almost official.”
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has granted the film an A certificate. According to the certification document, Jana Nayagan has a runtime of 183 minutes and 11 seconds (3 hours and 3 minutes) and was certified on Thursday, July 9.
The CBFC has suggested 12 modifications before the film’s theatrical release.
As per the certificate, visuals in which Dr. B.R. Ambedkar appears on the cover of a book have been modified. A dialogue referring to “Ambedkar… to… TVK sattam” has been replaced, while the use of “TVK” in both the audio and video has been muted and altered.
The board also ordered the deletion of visuals featuring the Indian national flag in one sequence. The words “Bhagavathan” and “Ranganathar” have been muted, along with “Thevidiya Paiya” and “Oththa.”
Another dialogue containing the words “India en kalla vizha vaikaren” has also been muted. A child-burning visual has been deleted and replaced, while the word “Siluvailla” has been muted.
Finally, the CBFC instructed the makers to replace the name “Sheela Rani” wherever it appears in the film.
In total, the board ordered 20 seconds of deletions and 10 seconds of replacements, with the film’s final runtime remaining unchanged at 183 minutes and 11 seconds.
Jana Nayagan row
The film was submitted for certification in December 2025, and the CBFC had reportedly informed KVN Productions that it would receive a U/A 16+ certificate. However, matters took an unexpected turn when objections were reportedly raised by a member of the examining committee, resulting in the film being referred to a revision committee. The CBFC did not issue the certificate for several months, citing due process.
Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan marks Vijay’s final film as an actor and was originally intended to serve as his farewell to fans before the elections.
Produced by KVN Productions on a reported budget of Rs 500 crore, the film features a star-studded ensemble cast and large-scale production, further fuelling anticipation. It also stars Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, and Mamitha Baiju, with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander.
