H Vinoth’s Jana Nayagan was supposed to be released in theatres in January for Pongal. But six months later, the film is still with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), awaiting clearance. The latest is that Vijay has asked the production house, KVN Productions, to refund the distributors who have waited months for the film’s release. Explaining the financial strain the film’s delay has put on the makers.
Vijay asks producers to refund distributors
Mohan Suprith, business head of KVN Productions, confirmed to SCREEN that the news circulating from Thursday was indeed true, “While we are still in talks, we have decided to refund the money to the film distributors. We felt it was unfair to keep them in the loop, while we are still waiting for a possible release date.” Sources said the decision came from Vijay himself, as the film has been stuck in limbo for months. This comes amid no clarity on the film’s release from either the CBFC or the makers.
The financial damage to Jana Nayagan makers and distributors
When Jana Nayagan’s release was delayed at the last minute, with the film sent to the CBFC’s revising committee, distributors were forced to refund crores in advance booking amounts. Trade analyst Ramesh Bala had told India Today that Jana Nayagan could’ve made ₹150-200 crore easily in Tamil Nadu alone. He also projected that the box office could have lost almost ₹100 crore because of the film.
In January this year, the producers told the Madras High Court that ₹500 crore was at stake. The advocate appearing for the producers pointed out that nearly ₹500 crore was at stake for the film, which was slated for release on 5000 screens worldwide. Later, Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, representing the CBFC, questioned the makers’ claim of investing crores and announcing a release date without clearance. All this before the film was leaked online in HD print in April.
Numerous reports state that Amazon Prime Video, which acquired the digital rights of Jana Nayagan for ₹120 crore, also terminated its agreement with the producers due to the film’s delay. The makers mentioned in court that the OTT platform was threatening to sue them over the delay. 15 individuals have so far been arrested in connection with the leak, which caused further financial loss to the makers. Given that the ready-to-release film has been sitting idle for months, the producers’ finances are sure to be in disarray.
Recently, director Vinoth remarked on SS Music that he lacks the ‘courage’ to speak about what happened to Jana Nayagan. When asked when the film would be released, he replied, “That is not up to me. I don’t even have the courage to tell you the truth. Even if I had the courage, you wouldn’t have the courage to share it.” Producer Venkat K Narayana also revealed in May that the film hasn’t been certified by the CBFC yet.
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