₹500 Crore at Stake | CBFC Stalls Vijay's Jananayagam Ahead of Pongal Release |Pongal Release Unlike

In this special report, India Today Executive Editor Akshita Nandagopal analyses the major setback facing actor-politician Thalapathy Vijay’s final film, ‘Jananayagam’. Scheduled for a grand Pongal release on January 9, the film’s certification has been stalled by the Censor Board after an examining committee member claimed it ‘hurt sentiments of a minority community’ and misused defense emblems. Akshita Nandagopal highlights the financial risk, noting that ‘500 crores is at stake’ with tickets priced up to ₹2,000 already sold out. The delay also poses a political challenge for Vijay, whose party TVK hoped to leverage the film’s messaging ahead of the April elections. The report also contrasts this with the smooth release of Sivakarthikeyan’s ‘Parasakti’.