Amid the delay in Thalapathy Vijay’s Jana Nayagan’s release, it has now been reported that theatre owners in Tamil Nadu have suffered losses of around Rs 100 crore due to the controversy. Recently, trade
analyst Ramesh Bala was speaking to India Today when he explained how the legal battle has affected theatre owners in the state.
“Pongal was supposed to witness the clash of Vijay’s Jana Nayagan and Sivakarthikeyan’s Parasakthi. However, the film’s release was stalled. Vijay’s film could easily have made Rs 150-200 crore in Tamil Nadu alone. Parasakthi made Rs 55 crore in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
“Karthi’s Vaa Vaathiyaar, which was released for Pongal, was a complete washout, while Jiiva’s Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimayil (TTT) made around Rs 30 crore in Tamil Nadu. In total, the Tamil Nadu box office saw nearly Rs 85 crore in January after Parasakthi and TTT released. Without Jana Nayagan, it’s a huge loss. Since there is no projected revenue, the Tamil Nadu box office could have lost almost Rs 100 crore because of Jana Nayagan’s delay,” the trade analyst added.
Meanwhile, a Chennai theatre owner flagged a worrying situation across cinemas in Tamil Nadu, claiming that the uncertainty surrounding Jana Nayagan’s release has disrupted theatre schedules for the coming months.
What Is The Controversy?
For the unversed, Jana Nayagan, touted as Vijay’s final film before he transitions full-time into politics, was originally slated for a worldwide theatrical release on January 9, ahead of the Pongal festival. However, days before its release, the Central Board of Film Certification informed production house KVN Productions that the film had been referred to a revising committee following a complaint.
Challenging the move, the makers of the movie then approached the Madras High Court, which initially ruled in their favour, directing the censor board to grant the film a U/A certificate after the suggested modifications were carried out.
However, the censor board challenged the High Court’s directive by filing an appeal, prompting a division bench of the Madras High Court to stay the single judge’s order that had asked the board to grant the certificate. The bench then posted the matter for hearing on January 21.
Following this, KVN Productions moved the Supreme Court, which took up the case on January 15. The apex court, however, dismissed the plea, refusing to grant an urgent hearing and directing the producers to pursue their remedy before the Madras High Court instead – which, in turn, set aside a single judge’s order that had directed the censor board to issue a certificate to the film.
Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan features an ensemble cast including Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priyamani, and Narain. The film has been heavily marketed as Vijay’s final cinematic outing before his full-time foray into politics, adding to the anticipation surrounding its release.
