Censorship or coercion? The politics around Vijay’s Jana Nayagan

On January 9, Justice P T Asha of the Madras High Court directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue an ‘U/A 16+’ certificate to Jana Nayagan, actor Vijay’s cinematic swansong. Within minutes of the order, the CBFC rushed to the first bench of Chief Justice M M Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan, seeking an urgent hearing and a stay on the single judge’s order. The stay was granted.

On January 12, the CBFC filed a caveat in the Supreme Court of India seeking to be heard before passing orders on the appeal filed by KVN Productions against the division bench’s order.  

The controversy began earlier. After initially agreeing to issue a U/A certificate, the CBFC made a volte-face on January 5, referring the film to a revising committee. This prompted the producers to approach the High Court to secure the film’s release on January 9 as scheduled.  

The alacrity shown by the CBFC – the case in the High Court was argued by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta -- on Jana Nayagan has fuelled allegations of political interference. Critics have been quick to suggest that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre was behind the move to stall the film.  

The legal battle over Jana Nayagan coincides with Vijay’s questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi in connection with the Karur stampede case. The film’s release was also timed perfectly to bolster the actor’s political profile ahead of the electoral debut of his party, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), in the Assembly elections.  

Trouble over film releases is not new for Vijay. His 2013 film Thalaivaa was stalled in Tamil Nadu while it was released in other markets; Mersal (2017) faced protests from the BJP over references to the GST; and Sarkar (2018) was forced to undergo cuts after censor clearance following objections from the AIADMK to several scenes and even the name of a character. 

This, however, is the first time one of his movies has been stuck at the CBFC, with no clarity on when it will hit the theatres. 

The stalling of the movie and the CBI inquiry come at a time when Vijay has reportedly rejected overtures from the BJP to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu to take on the DMK, especially after the Karur stampede, in which 41 people were killed. Critics, however, claim that Vijay has softened his stance towards the BJP since the incident.  Vijay has previously described the BJP as his “ideological enemy” and the DMK as his “political enemy”. 

As Vijay faces trouble, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi—whose Congress party views the actor as an “anti-BJP” force and might not be averse to doing business with him in the future—framed the controversy as an attack on Tamil culture and directly accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of stalling the movie. 

The DMK, too, questioned the BJP on the need for the CBI to summon Vijay to New Delhi, alleging that the move was intended to coerce him into joining the NDA. However, amid the political crossfire, Vijay has maintained a stoic silence, even as the spotlight on him intensifies. 

Political analyst Maalan Narayanan believes the controversy surrounding the movie is ‘apolitical’ and sees the appeals
by the CBFC only as the organisation’s
way of asserting itself and defending its decision to send Jana Nayagan to the
revising committee. 

“Even Vijay has not said this is politically motivated. It is only political parties like DMK and Congress who will be affected by Vijay’s political entry who are making it political to create anti-BJP sentiments in Tamil Nadu. It is the DMK which is trying to politicise the issue,” he added. 

However, senior journalist R Bhagwan Singh feels the BJP may be using multiple agencies to pressure Vijay into aligning with the NDA. 

“People are openly discussing the possibility of Vijay joining the NDA. And the truth is the whip is in the hands of the BJP. The AIADMK-BJP combine feels unless Vijay joins the NDA, they won’t stand any chance against the DMK. That’s why Vijay is being pressured,” he told DH. 

Narayanan felt the CBI questioning Vijay is aimed at ensuring that the Karur stampede becomes an election issue, with the BJP continuing to blame the lapses of the state government for the incident. “They want this to be used against the DMK. I think the CBI will come out with some kind of a report on the issue close to the elections to corner the DMK,” he said. 

Having opposed the BJP and even calling it an “ideological enemy”, Vijay will find it extremely difficult to join the NDA, political analysts say, and they warn that such a decision has the potential to end his political career. Warming up to the NDA will ensure consolidation of the minorities towards the DMK, alienate TVK from “secular forces” and also from a section of the electorate who support Vijay for his novelty, they feel.

Singh said he was unsure whether Vijay would yield to the pulls and pressure exerted on him. “The point that the AIADMK-BJP makes here is that the end justifies the means, as Vijay also wants the DMK to be vanquished. But if Vijay continues to resist the pressure, he will not just gain sympathy but also people’s trust,” he added.