New Delhi: Several scenes of superstar Vijay’s film Jana Nayagan, which has been stuck in censorship limbo for a while, were leaked online on Thursday evening, prompting the director and producer to file a case and issue a statement.
Vijayan Subramanian, the advocate representing KVN Productions LLP, issued a notice addressing the leak.
“It has come to my client’s notice with utmost shock and urgency that certain scenes from the film Jana Nayagan have been illegally accessed, downloaded, copied and circulated by certain persons and forwarded to several third parties, creating a serious threat of digital leakage through various social media platforms,” Subramanian said in a public notice.
The advocate added that several crores have been invested in the film over its production, and it carries “enormous theatrical, satellite, OTT and commercial value.”
Jana Nayagan will be Vijay’s last film as he enters politics full-time with his party TVK, set to contest the Tamil Nadu elections scheduled on 23 April.
Tamil film fraternity slams piracy
The Tamil film fraternity has come out in support of Vijay and KVN Productions, slamming the piracy of the movie scenes.
Actor-producer Sivakarthikeyan condemned the leak and urged the concerned authorities to take strict action against the perpetrators involved in the incident.
“Every film is made with the passion, blood and sweat of hundreds of people – please avoid piracy. Kindly wait for the theatrical release and watch it in theatres. Whoever is responsible for this must face strict action,” wrote Sivakarthikeyan in an X post.
Musician and actor GV Prakash Kumar also spoke out against piracy.
“Do not support piracy. Respect the talent and hardwork. So much of blood and sweat goes into film making. Painful,” wrote Kumar on X.
Film producer G Dhanajheyan urged KVN Productions to send an official email to the censor board to initiate proceedings against piracy, claiming that he has personally reached out to the board as well.
“Just spoke with Regional Censor Officer, Chennai and briefed him on this urgent matter. He is ready to support and request Information & Broadcasting Ministry at Delhi to remove all links and act against those posting the videos and links,” he wrote on X.
Also read: Deepika Padukone breaks silence on husband Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2
CBFC’s intervention
The film was earlier scheduled for release on 9 January but was sent for re-examination after objections from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) regarding certain scenes and dialogues. Despite making the suggested changes, the film is still under review by the revising committee.
The makers had issued a petition on 9 January seeking direction to the CBFC to grant a censor certificate to the film, but later withdrew it.
H Vinoth’s directorial features an ensemble cast including Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Prakash Raj, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priyamani, Mamitha Baiju, and Narain, with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)