KVN Productions, the producers of Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan (Tamil), have agreed to withdrawn the writ petition filed in the Madras high court against the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for the refusal of certificate to the film.
In a significant move that could clear the way for the release of director H. Vinoth’s film, the producers of the political action drama have approached the high court to withdraw the writ. In a letter to the high court registry, KVN Productions has expressed its willingness to cooperate with the CBFC’s decision to refer Jana Nayagan to a revising committee.
The producers’ decision not to pursue the matter legally anymore comes more than a week after a division bench of the high court set aside the January 9 order of Justice Asha, directing the CBFC to grant a ‘UA 16+’ certificate to the film. While sending the matter back to the single judge for fresh consideration on January 27, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan observed that principles of natural justice had not been followed in the matter. Pointing out that the CBFC was not provided an adequate opportunity to defend its decision to refer the film to the revising committee, the bench also noted that the complaint against the film was “of a serious nature”.
During the hearing, KVN Productions had stated that all 27 excisions and modifications recommended by the examining committee, which initially watched the film, had been carried out. However, additional solicitor general (ASG) ARL Sundaresan, appearing for the CBFC, informed the court that the complaint expressed concerns that certain scenes could hurt religious sentiments and allegedly portrayed the armed forces improperly. After hearing both the sides, the division bench set aside the single judge’s earlier order and sent the matter back to Justice Asha for fresh consideration.
Jana Nayagan is Vijay’s last film as an actor as he will concentrate completely on his political career after its release. The film was initially scheduled to hit the screens on January 9, coinciding with Pongal. However, the producer was forced to postpone the release indefinitely after it failed to get relief from the court. The political action drama also features Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Priyamani and Narain in key roles. Its dubbed versions, Jan Neta (in Hindi) and Jana Nayakudu (Kannada), will also release simultaneously with the original Tamil version.