Delay in clearance for Vijay's ‘Jana Nayagan’ heats up Tamil Nadu politics

ACtor-politician Vijay’s upcoming motion-picture show Jana Nayagan — meant to be the swan vocal to a roaring playacting calling subsumed into political relation — has found itself in political crosshairs. The Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) refusal to issue a certificate for the film that was meant to be released on January 9 has sparked a slew of reactions across party lines.The Madras high court is scheduled to hear the matter on Friday.Vijay’s supporters allege a political conspiracy against his fledgeling Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).Also read: Iran protest sees massive escalation, nationwide internet cut as exiled prince's war cryOne of Vijay’s close advisors, speaking on condition of anonymity, drew parallels between Vijay and former chief minister MG Ramachandran (MGR), who in 1973 struggled to release his film Ulagam Sutrum Valiban after being expelled by the DMK by late M Karunanidhi. “They are scared that the film will further boost his image,” the TVK leader said,referring to Jana Nayagan.“More so than the DMK, this is an opportunity for the BJP to get Vijay in knots,” said political observer Ramu Manivannan.“The BJP would like to draw him close to AIADMK on paper with an erasable pact at least for a poster campaign to break- in against the DMK bloc,” he said.Also read: Mamata Banerjee's protest rally today after dramatic showdown with ED, ‘naughty HM’ jab over I-PAC raidThe DMK asked how they can be blamed when the CBFC was under the BJP-led Union government.“What is the connection between this film and us when the censor board is under the Centre,” said minister K N Nehru.This isn’t the first time that Vijay’s films have been stalled. In 2013, late AIADMK chief minister J Jayalalithaa was perceived as stalling his film Thalaivaa and Vijay publicly appealed to her to help release his film. It was released two weeks later after some minor censorship.“He went to Jayalalithaa earlier to get his film released. He can do the same now with whoever is connected to the issue now,” said Nehru. Besides Vijay, actor-politician Kamal Haasan who is now an ally of the DMK, has faced several pre-release issues in his own career.State legislative assembly speaker M Appavu said he didn’t want to speak politically given his position but pointed out that after the Karur stampede, it was TVK’s Aadhav Arjuna who sought for a CBI probe in the Supreme Court. “The Tamil Nadu government formed a special team to investigate the Karur tragedy and brother Vijay spoke cinema dialogues challenging the DMK government to arrest him. But, the FIR did not name him. He was not arrested, he was not called for investigation,” said Appavu.DMK’s ally Congress also blamed the BJP over Vijay’s film. “Beyond our political affiliations, likes, and dislikes, everyone who believes in freedom of expression must condemn this,” said Congress MP S Jothimani. “Following the Enforcement Directorate, CBI, and Income Tax Department, the Censorship Board has now become a political weapon of the Modi government. We cannot sit back silently and watch this as mere entertainment. I have served as a member of the Censorship Committee for a few years. I know its functioning well. In my view, in this technological age, the Censorship Board is an outdated institution. Whether to accept or reject a film lies in the hands of the people.”BJP’s Tamilisai Soundararajan countered that the Congress was misleading people by blaming the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the film not getting a certificate from the censor board. “It is clearly established in court on Wednesday that the central government has nothing to do with a censor certificate. The Congress stifled people’s freedom during the Emergency and has a history of banning films but now they are crying over Jana Nayagan,” said Soundararajan.