Vijay’s Jana Nayagan: Producer reveals why CBFC asked to modify Ambedkar-TVK dialogue

3 min readHyderabadJul 16, 2026 10:23 PM IST

Vijay in a still from Jana Nayagan, which underwent nearly 20 seconds of cuts and 10 seconds of replacements before receiving its CBFC certificate

With Vijay’s Jana Nayagan finally set to release on July 23 after months of delays, producer K Venkata Narayana of KVN Productions has spoken publicly for the first time about the specific changes the Central Board of Film Certification demanded before granting the film its certificate.

In an interview with NDTV, Venkata Narayana revealed that one of the key modifications involved a dialogue that drew a connection between Dr BR Ambedkar’s Constitution and the constitution of Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). The original dialogue, he explained, essentially stated that if Ambedkar’s Constitution is not followed, then TVK’s constitution would apply.

K Venkata Narayana framed the dialogue as something far simpler than how it was interpreted. “If you don’t follow the constitution, what will be the consequence. In a more relatable way, it has been put across. It’s common language. Even at home, you will tell the child, if you don’t follow the rule that has been made, next follows the consequence,” he said, adding, “Since there was a reference to some political language, we were asked to make that correction. We respect the law of the land. Wherever they asked us to make corrections, we carried out those modifications.”

Beyond the Ambedkar-TVK dialogue, the CBFC also directed the makers to alter a book cover that carried Dr. Ambedkar’s image. Several religious references were either muted or removed as well. The words Bhagavathan, Ranganathar and OM were muted from the soundtrack, while the word OM was specifically taken out of a dialogue that explained something called “Operation Meluha” in the film. In total, the board ordered nearly 20 seconds of cuts and approximately 10 seconds of replacement footage.

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When asked how the team felt about making these changes to a film they had spent seven months trying to get certified, Venkata Narayana kept his response brief. The film industry runs on the censor board’s certification, he said. Without it, a film cannot release. They had no choice but to comply.

The producer’s comments offer the clearest picture yet of what exactly the CBFC objected to in Jana Nayagan. The film’s certification process had become one of the most contentious in recent Tamil cinema history. After the makers submitted the film in December 2025, a five-member examining committee initially recommended a U/A 16+ certificate with certain cuts. The film was resubmitted after those changes were made, but the CBFC chairperson then referred it to the revising committee, stalling the process entirely. A prolonged legal battle in the Madras High Court followed before the makers eventually withdrew their petition and resubmitted the film, which was finally cleared with an A certificate.

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Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan stars Vijay alongside Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain and Priyamani. The film is widely reported to be a remake of Anil Ravipudi’s Telugu hit Bhagavanth Kesari, though the makers have not officially confirmed this. Jana Nayagan releases worldwide on July 23.