Filmmaker and former Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) advisory panel member EV Ganesh Babu has shed light on the certification process behind Vijay's Jana Nayagan, explaining why the film's censor clearance became a prolonged issue and why he believes much of the speculation surrounding the delay was misplaced.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with CE, Ganesh Babu revealed that he was part of one of the committees that viewed Jana Nayagan during its certification process. However, he clarified that he was not a member of the final committee that granted the film its certificate, preventing him from commenting on whether the final 'A' certification was appropriate.

According to him, the film was first viewed by a five-member examining committee in Chennai. That committee reportedly recommended that the film be referred to a Revising Committee, a larger panel constituted for sensitive or disputed cases. Instead of applying for a revising committee immediately, however, the producers chose to approach the court with a complaint against the CBFC.

Ganesh Babu explained that once the matter reached court, the certification process naturally slowed down. Since CBFC officials from Mumbai also had to respond, hearings could not happen instantly. He said the producers even approached the Supreme Court at one stage before eventually withdrawing the case filed against the CBFC. By the time they reapplied for certification, however, the Election Commission had already announced elections, introducing an entirely new complication.

Election announcement complicated the process

Ganesh Babu said that because Jana Nayagan contained political themes, election-related rules came into play after the Model Code of Conduct was announced. He stressed that no CBFC official intended to delay the film deliberately, but officers also could not ignore election regulations while certifying a politically themed film.

He argued that if the producers had withdrawn their court case earlier and applied for a revising committee sooner, there would have been enough time to complete the certification process before the election announcement. Instead, everything happened at the last minute, making scheduling nearly impossible.