H Vinoth’s long-delayed Jana Nayagan, starring actor and chief minister of Tamil Nadu Vijay in the lead role, will finally hit screens on July 23. Ahead of its release, producer K Venkata Narayana of KVN Productions gave an interview in which he discussed the cuts and modifications imposed by the CBFC, including a dialogue about Ambedkar and TVK.
Ambedkar-TVK dialogue from Jana Nayagan modified by CBFC
Talking to NDTV, Venkata spoke about the modified Ambedkar and TVK dialogue and said, “If you don’t follow the constitution, what will be the consequence…in a more relatable way, it has been put across. It’s a common language, even at home, you will tell the child, if you don’t follow the rule that has been made, next follows the consequence.”
Revealing specifically what the modified dialogue from the film initially was about, he added, “In that parlance, it was used. Since there was a reference to some political language, we were asked to make that correction. We respect the law of the land. Wherever they asked us to make corrections, we carried out those modifications. That dialogue was purely referring to, if you do not follow Ambedkar sir’s constitution, then TVK constitution will apply.”
When Venkata was asked how he felt about making the cuts and modifications on the film, he had been trying to get certified for 7 months, he simply stated that the cinema industry only functions based on censor board certification, so they had to comply with whatever was asked.
The cuts and modifications asked by the CBFC
The news portal previously reported that most of the cuts and modifications were political references, religious mentions, and scenes the board considered sensitive. All mentions of TVK (Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam) have either been muted or altered. A sequence featuring the national flag was also removed.
The CBFC reportedly directed the makers to modify the dialogue “Ambedkar… to… TVK sattam” and alter a book cover carrying Dr BR Ambedkar’s image. Religious terms including Bhagavathan, Ranganathar, and OM have been muted, while the word OM has specifically been removed from a dialogue explaining Operation Meluha. Altogether, the board directed nearly 20 seconds of cuts and about 10 seconds of replacements.
Jana Nayagan stars Vijay, Mamitha Baiju, Bobby Deol and Pooja Hegde in lead roles. The film is touted to be an adaptation of Anil Ravipudi’s Telugu film Bhagavanth Kesari. It is Vijay’s final film as he gives up cinema for a career in politics.