‘Jana Nayagan’ makers cite ‘Dhurandhar 2’ when asked about announcing the release date before obtaining CBFC certification - Reports

A Division Bench of the Madras High Court, on Tuesday (January 20, 2026), reserved its orders on a writ appeal filed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) against a single judge’s directive to give certification to ‘Jana Nayagan’.

The film, originally scheduled for release on January 9, is now indefinitely postponed. When the CBFC questioned the ‘Jana Nayagan’ makers on why the film’s release date was announced before obtaining certification, they brought up ‘Dhurandhar 2’ as an example.

‘Dhurandhar 2’ release date announced before CBFC certification, Jana Nayagan counsel says

Senior Advocate Satish Parasaran represented KVN Productions, while Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan represented the CBFC. The ASG argued that the producers announced the release date before certification, and also claimed before the single-judge HC that taking more time for certification would lead to a loss of Rs 500 crore.

When the Chief Justice asked how the producers could announce the release date before certification, the producer’s counsel pointed out that it was a common practice.

"It's not a practice to wait for a certificate to announce the release date. If you see Bollywood, they have already announced Dhurandhar 2,” the counsel argued as reported by NDTV.

The counsel cited that the ‘Dhurandhar 2’ announcement was made in the end credits of Dhurandhar Part 1. The sequel is announced to release on March 19.

When will ‘Jana Nayagan’ release?

On Tuesday, January 20, the Madras High Court, reserved its orders on a writ appeal filed by CBFC against a single judge’s order to provide certification. The makers had earlier approached the Supreme Court seeking relief. However, on January 15, the SC refused to intervene in the issue, noting that the Madras High Court's Division Bench will hear the matter on January 20. Now that the Madras HC has reserved its order, the ‘Jana Nayagan’ producer will have to hold the release.

Disclaimer: This report is based on current judicial filings and reports from legal correspondents. As the matter is sub judice before the Supreme Court of India, all information regarding hearing dates and film certification is subject to change based on the court’s official orders. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or a guarantee of the film's release date.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”