Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan' row: How Aamir Khan's 'Rang De Basanti' faced similar CBFC crises

‘Thalapathy’ Vijay’s stardom can never be described in words. His every film creates a buzz right from the word go, and as it nears the release date, the attention and anticipation grow further. Something similar happened with his upcoming release ‘Jana Nayagan,’ but this time the movie hogged the spotlight owing to the delay in the release date. The movie was scheduled for release on January 9; however, it failed to obtain certification from the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) and missed its release date. This isn’t the first time a movie has faced such a situation in the Indian film industry. Aamir Khan and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s cult classic ‘Rang De Basanti’ faced a similar fate. In a recent interview, Rakeysh Omprakash shared that he was warned to chop off certain scenes and dialogues from the movie, or else the Board would not pass his project. However, he stood his ground and said he would not compromise with the facts of the film, even if that meant a delay in the release.Released around two decades back on January 26, Aamir Khan’s ‘Rang De Basanti’ was initially scheduled to hit the theatres on January 19. However, the movie faced hurdles while getting a certification, owing to the storyline that showed the assassination of a Defence Minister, set against allegations of massive corruption in the procurement of MiG fighter jets. The filmmaker, in an interview with Screen, shared that the bureaucrats from the Defence Ministry told him, “ ‘Don’t call a MiG a MiG, don’t call a Defence Minister a Defence Minister, you won’t get a Censor Certificate.” He was further told to remove the scene where the defence minister says, ‘the soldiers aren’t in their senses, but high on spirit, while flying the planes,’ from the television broadcast of the movie. The filmmaker was warned that he would not get the certification otherwise. Omprakash didn’t agree with the statements and said, “All of this is derived from real life. I have facts to support everything.”The release date was announced, and the movie had yet to get the certificate. The filmmaker knew that if he did not make changes, the movie might get delayed, yet he was ready to take that chance. He said he didn’t care whether it takes six weeks or years to get the clearance; he will not make any changes in the facts.“So when we stuck to our guns, it went up to the Defence Minister and sailed through after that. Originally, it was supposed to be released on January 19, but it was released on the 26th January. So what happens, happens for the good. We got a Republic Day release,” he added.For the unversed, Vijay’s film ‘Jana Nayagan’ initially received a preliminary clearance, but the makers were later informed that it had been sent to a revising committee following a complaint. The matter thus escalated prompted them to approach the Madras High Court, which, for now, has reserved its order. Also, so far, there is no indication when the verdict will be delivered. With a January release now virtually ruled out, the producers have stated that more than Rs 500 crore is riding on the film.