Jana Nayagan release date row: Thalapathy Vijay’s Jana Nayagan has quickly become one of the most debated films in recent times. Amid calls for a timely release and growing scrutiny from the Madras High Court and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma took to social media to pen a detailed note.
Calling the censor board ‘outdated’, Varma explained why censorship in cinema has become obsolete.
Ram Gopal Varma on censor board
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma questioned the relevance of the censor board in his post. “It has long outlived its purpose,” he wrote as he held the film industry responsible for holding it to its status. He explained that objectionable content, from ‘extremist propaganda’ to ‘terrorist executions’, was more easily accessible on the Internet than cinema – ” from anywhere in the world, uncut, uncensored, algorithmically pushed.”
Further, he pointed out how abusive language has become almost colloquial, from influencers to every other person. He added, “Don’t ignore the fact that social media has far more reach than cinema, and it is full of political venom, communal poison, character assassinations, live, uncensored shouting matches in the name of debates. (sic)”
“For the honourable censor board to believe that cutting a word in a film, trimming a shot, or blurring a cigarette will ‘protect society’ – is a joke,” Ram Gopal Varma added. Explaining how the concept of a censor board stemmed from the era of state-controlled media, the filmmaker shared that today “no one can no longer decide what people should or should not see.”
‘Censorship insults the viewers’
As per Varma, the censorship efforts in today’s time are hypocritical and an ‘insult’ to the viewers, instead of preventing exposure. He opined that the censor board practices its ‘ritual of authority’ where ‘scissors replace thinking.’
CENSOR BOARD is OUTDATED
Not in the context of just @Actor_Vijay ‘s #JanaNayagan ‘s censor issues but in an overall manner, it is truly foolish to think that the censor board is still relevant today
It has long outlived it’s purpose, but it’s being kept alive out of laziness…
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 9, 2026
“Cinema is not meant to be a classroom where lessons are taught,” Varma added as he echoed the sentiment that movies mirror society. “The job of the authorities is not to edit or cut them out, but to trust citizens enough to decide for themselves, which is the main point of freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed under the constitution,” read his comment on the role of censorship today. However, he agreed to the need for warnings and age restrictions, correctly placed ahead of films.
“So instead of raising this topic once in a while over a particular film , the fight should be with that particular system of thinking which created the censor board,” he concluded.
Jana Nayagan release delay row
The post came as a response to Jana Nayagan’s delayed release after a complaint stalled its Pongal release. Touted to be Thalapathy Vijay’s last film, several objections were raised against the portrayal of religion, violence, and emblems of the armed forces in the film. 27 individual cuts were already made in the film as the CBFC held back the U/A certification until the day of its scheduled release on January 9.
In the latest hearing, the Madras High Court, however, urged the censor board to clear the Thalapathy Vijay movie for release. While the fans celebrated the ruling, despite the court order, the release of Jana Nayagan isn’t likely before January 20.