Chennai: The Congress Monday rushed to defend actor-politician Vijay, alleging that the BJP-led Centre was misusing state power to delay the certification of his upcoming film, Jana Nayagan, and warning against the politicisation of cinema.
The postponement of the movie came after the Madras High Court reserved its order on a petition challenging the Central Board of Film Certification’s decision to withhold a censor certificate for Jana Nayagan, leading the production house to delay its scheduled 9 January release.
Congress leader Girish Chodankar, in charge of Tamil Nadu Congress, accused the BJP-led Centre of using its political power to target cinema.
In a post on X, Chodankar, addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that while political disagreements were natural, “targeting an artist’s work is unacceptable”.
Alleging that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader Vijay’s film was facing delays due to pressure exerted on authorities, Chodankar said such actions were unfair to producers and fans, warning that the people of Tamil Nadu would not tolerate censorship for political gains.
“The people of Tamil Nadu will not tolerate censorship of cinemas for political gains. We urge you to ensure that art and entertainment are not used as pawns in political battles. Vijay’s film is facing delays due to your pressure on authorities, which is unfair to the producers and fans. Let’s keep politics out of art and respect creative freedom,” he said in his X post.
Challenging the Prime Minister, Girish Chodankar further said that Modi should “take on politician Vijay, not actor Vijay”. “Modi Ji, prove your 56-inch chest claim by taking on POLITICIAN Vijay, not ACTOR Vijay,” he wrote.
Soon after Chodankar’s post, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) echoed his words, issuing a statement on X accusing the Centre of exerting pressure on officials to stall the film’s certification.
TNCC, addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that art and entertainment should not be turned into weapons in political battles, cautioning that Tamil Nadu’s electorate would resist any attempt to censor cinema for partisan advantage.
Further, Congress MP Jothimani posted on X in support of Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, describing the reported refusal or delay by the CBFC as an “attack on the Tamil film industry” as well as a direct assault on freedom of expression.
Drawing on her experience as a former member of a censorship committee, Jothimani argued that the CBFC had become an outdated institution in the digital era. She accused the Modi government of making the CBFC, after agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, CBI, and Income Tax Department, yet another political instrument.
“Even as we continue to censor films, thousands of uncensored videos and scenes are spreading through television, YouTube, and social media platforms. Billions of people watch them. In this context, censoring only films will bring about no real change—this is the stark reality,” Jothimani posted on X.
Similarly, Congress MP Manickam Tagore also linked the controversy to what he described as the systematic erosion of freedom of speech and expression. Tagore accused the Modi–Shah leadership of responding to dissent with “control, not confidence”, alleging that institutions meant to safeguard democracy were being repurposed to intimidate critics.
“Institutions meant to protect democracy are reduced to tools of intimidation, while BJP-RSS propaganda is passed off as ‘culture’. Cinema doesn’t need political clearance. It needs constitutional protection. Democracy cannot survive when art is forced to kneel before power,” he commented.
TNCC leaders, however, insist that the Jana Nayagan issue cuts across alliance considerations. “This is not about alliances or political convenience but whether the State can decide what art people watch,” a senior leader in TNCC, who did not want to be named, told ThePrint.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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