Planning to watch Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan'? Here's what the CBFC removed before Release

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has cleared Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and actor Vijay Thalapathy’s latest film, Jana Nayagan, with an A (adult) certificate after nearly seven months of certification delays. The revising committee's decision follows a series of audio and visual modifications requested and implemented by the filmmakers, the certification note shows.

TVK’s reference removed 

In the film, Vijay’s character is named Thalapathy Vetri Kondan — abbreviated as TVK — while outside the film, TVK refers to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, the political party founded by Vijay.

One of the principal changes recorded in the certification log is the removal of the use of the abbreviation “TVK”. At time code 110:23, the dialogue "Ambedkar sattam...to... TVK sattam" was altered: the reference to TVK was removed from both audio and video, and the segment was muted and modified without any change in duration. 
Other edits listed

The certification note lists a slew of other edits across sound and visuals. Dialogue was changed to specify that “Ambedkar is shown on the cover page of the book wherever it appears", with no alteration in length. Visuals showing the Indian flag falling to the ground were deleted. The words “Bhagavatham” and “Ranganathar” were muted, and two cuss words were also censored.

Additionally, the syllable "OM", wherever uttered, and the phrase “New India", used while explaining Operation Meluha, were removed. Several visuals and references connected to a character described as “Shri Saddam” — including lines about hanging “Thookula thookirachavan...avanau medaila leak panni” — were muted or replaced. A shot showing a DC’s office badge being rolled down disrespectfully was removed and substituted with alternate footage.

Other targeted removals included muting the line “Ponnoda... kudthu vachirukkum, Udambu erukirunu” and the phrase “India n kalla virala vaikarne". Child-burning visuals were deleted and replaced; the word “Siluvaila” was muted; and occurrences of the name “Sheela Rani” were replaced wherever they appeared.

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Runtime and release

Following these modifications, the film’s certified runtime stands at three hours and three minutes. An official release date has not yet been announced, though industry sources say Jana Nayagan is expected to release on July 23 or July 24.

Background and earlier delays

Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan stars Vijay alongside Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj and Narain. The film, widely described in the media as Vijay’s farewell film, was initially slated for a January 9 release during the Pongal season. The producers submitted the film to the CBFC on December 19, 2025. After examination and requested changes, certification was further delayed following an internal complaint that sent the matter to the revising committee.

KVN Productions moved the Madras High Court seeking faster certification; the petition was withdrawn after a later Supreme Court visit. The delay worsened in April when a high-definition pirated copy leaked online; prosecutors later told the Madras High Court that about 1.2 crore users had accessed the pirated version before it was blocked, and police arrested several persons linked to the leak.