Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Thursday condemned the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), alleging that the board has turned into yet another instrument of the Union government. The comment comes at a time two high-profile Tamil films—Vijay starrer Jana Nayagan and Sivakarthikeyan starrer Parasakthi—ran into certification hurdles.
“After the #CBI, #ED and #IT, the Censor Board too has become a new weapon of the Union BJP government. This deserves strong condemnation,” Stalin said in a post on X.
Chief Minister Stalin’s remarks come amid criticism over the CBFC’s delay in issuing a censor certificate to Vijay’s ‘Jana Nayagan’ film and Sivakarthikeyan’s ‘Parasakthi’, which was cleared after 25 cuts, modifications and muting of dialogues.
After much delay, CBFC issued a U/A certification for ‘Parasakthi’ as late as Friday afternoon. The film was scheduled to be released 10 January.
‘Parasakthi’, which runs for about 163 minutes, was granted certification only after the crew complied with 25 separate instructions issued by the examining authority, covering dialogue, visuals, and subtitles.
#CBI, #ED, #IT வரிசையில் சென்சார் போர்டும் ஒன்றிய பா.ஜ.க. அரசின் புதிய ஆயுதமாக மாறியுள்ளது. கடுமையான கண்டனங்கள்!#CBFC
— M.K.Stalin – தமிழ்நாட்டை தலைகுனிய விடமாட்டேன் (@mkstalin) January 9, 2026
Although many words and dialogues have been muted and modified, the primary concern for the ruling DMK was that a portion of former chief minister C. N. Annadurai’s speech in the Tamil Nadu assembly in 1968, which was used in the film for about 22 seconds, has now been deleted.
The former Tamil Nadu chief minister’s speech roughly translates as: “They think the government should be dismissed. I will not challenge them by asking whether it is possible. It is possible for you. But the moment one even thinks of dissolving the government and having someone else come and sit here, and then attempt to undo everything that Annadurai brought in, there is immediately a fear that the people will rise up in protest. As long as that fear exists, it means that Annadurai is ruling this land. And for as long as that fear remains—whether someone is in power or not—it means that Annadurai continues to rule this country.”
According to the CBFC certificate, the dialogue that begins with “Engalai neekivittu…” (removing us) and ends with ”Endha naattai aalugiran endru porul” (Annadurai is ruling this country) had to be deleted.
Similarly, the Tamil phrase “thee paravattum” (let the fire spread), the name of the book written by C. N. Annadurai and used in a banner in a scene was also asked to be changed to “needhi paravattum” (let justice spread).
The CBFC ordered modifications to dialogues referring to the “imposition of Hindi” and directed that certain references to Hindi be altered or muted across dialogues, visuals and subtitles. Tamil phrases such as “Hindi en kanavai alithathu” (Hindi destroyed my dreams) were modified, while phrases like “Hindi kaththukittu” (learning Hindi) and references to “Hindi Arakki” (Hindi demon) were muted or altered wherever they appeared.
The board also ordered the removal of visuals depicting the burning of an effigy linked to the same issue, and asked for some subtitles to be deleted. Strong language and abusive terms have also been muted wherever they occurred.
Violence-related visuals have also been significantly toned down. The CBFC directed a 50 percent reduction in visuals showing immolation, and ordered the deletion of gunshot visuals involving a mother and child, and reduced scenes depicting a village massacre—particularly visuals of killing, dead bodies and a young mother’s death.
Dialogues on violence have also been excised, and visuals involving cow dung being poured on a post office signboard in Hindi were removed.
The board further asked for the deletion of words such as “anti-national scum” from both dialogue and subtitles, and muted references like “Golti” (nickname for Telegu people used derogatively in the film) at specified timestamps.
In some sequences referencing institutions such as postal services, UPSC examinations and railway interviews, the CBFC mandated the insertion of a fiction disclaimer. It also specified that the disclaimer’s duration be extended to allow sufficient reading time and directed that a Tamil voice-over accompany the text.
According to the certification details, the cumulative duration of deleted visuals amounts to 52 seconds, while replacements total 27 seconds, with no additional insertions affecting the film’s overall runtime.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Friday blockbuster: Nail-biter that played out in Madras HC over Vijay’s movie ‘Jana Nayagan’