Fans of Thalapathy Vijay are in for a trip down memory lane. With excitement over Jana Nayagan on hold due to legal and censor board delays, the team behind his 2016 blockbuster Theri has announced a theatrical
re-release. For many, it’s a chance to relive the action, drama, and heartwarming father-daughter moments that made the film a fan favourite. Producer Kalaipuli S. Thanu shared the news on social media, though the official release date is yet to be confirmed.
விரைவில் திரையில்
Thalapathy @actorvijay @Atlee_dir @gvprakash @Samanthaprabhu2 @iamAmyJackson #Theri pic.twitter.com/CKCx3M76mR
— Kalaippuli S Thanu (@theVcreations) January 10, 2026
Directed by Atlee and produced under V Creations, Theri stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Amy Jackson, and child artiste Nainika, with music by GV Prakash Kumar, cinematography by George C. Williams, and editing by Ruben. The story follows a former police officer on a mission to protect his daughter from dangers tied to his past.
Released on April 14, 2016, Theri opened to positive reviews and went on to gross around ₹150 crore worldwide against a ₹75 crore budget, making it one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of the year. The film won multiple awards at SIIMA, IIFA Utsavam, and Ananda Vikatan, and earned several Filmfare South nominations. Over time, it has been remade in several languages and remains a defining movie in Vijay’s career.
Meanwhile, Jana Nayagan, directed by H Vinoth, was initially slated for release on January 9 but was delayed due to legal and certification challenges. Producer Venkat K Narayana of KVN Productions called the situation “an extremely emotional and difficult moment for everyone who has poured their heart, soul and years of hard work into this film. Above all, we firmly believe that Thalapathy Vijay sir deserves the farewell he has earned through decades of love from his fans.”
Following hearings on January 6 and 7, the court directed a U/A 16+ certificate for Jana Nayagan. However, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) challenged the order, leading to an interim stay and a rescheduled hearing on January 21. Narayana added, “The censor board followed rules,” while apologising to fans and the team for the delay.
The delay recalls challenges faced by Sivakarthikeyan’s Parasakthi, which received its censor certificate just a day before release, requiring 25 cuts to earn a U/A rating. Speaking to India Today, Sivakarthikeyan said:
“We received the changes at the last minute. After that, we had to make the suggested changes and upload them to QUBE. Our main focus was to release the film as we were chasing a release date. The Censor Board functions according to their own regulations, and we didn’t have time to analyse whether it was an advantage or disadvantage.”
He added, “If we had more time, we might have explained to them the context of certain dialogues that they asked us to mute. We were running after a release date, so we ensured that the core of the story remained unaffected while implementing the cuts.” The team reportedly had only 10 hours to complete the mandated edits.
Jana Nayagan marks Vijay’s final cinematic outing before entering politics. The film recently held a grand audio launch in Malaysia, attended by over 75,000 fans. With an estimated budget of Rs 500 crore, it was expected to be the biggest Sankranti release of the year, but the postponed certification has disrupted its festive release plans.
