Ahead of state Assembly polls, leaked footage from Vijay’s yet-to-be released film Jana Nayagan made its way on the internet on Thursday, April 9 evening, shocking the fans and the film industry.
Crucial scenes of the film including Vijay’s entry, an opening song, and also the climax, which are usually the most impactful scenes meant to enthrall viewers, have been reportedly leaked. The source of the leak is yet to be determined.
The production house KVN Productions has already approached the court seeking to remove the links of the illegal videos. They have also issued a warning threatening criminal action against those storing and sharing the videos.
“It is informed to public that not to download, receive, store, forward, share or circulate any leaked content relating to Jana Nayagan in any manner whatsoever through any digital or social media platform. Any person found hereafter involved in such acts shall face immediate civil and criminal proceedings at their own risk as to consequences,” the legal notice issued on behalf of the production house read.
Jana Nayagan was billed as Vijay’s last film as the actor took a full-time role as a politician as the party chief of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The film also stars Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, Bobby Deol, and others.
Though the film was supposed to release earlier in January during Pongal, it was stalled by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after an advisory panel member had alleged that the Examination Committee in Chennai approved its release without following due procedure.
According to the panel member, Jana Nayagan contains visuals and dialogues depicting foreign powers orchestrating large-scale religious conflict in India, potentially leading to disturbing communal harmony. He also contended that despite multiple references to the Indian Army in the film, no defence expert was consulted during the certification process.
While a single bench judge on January 9, directed the CBFC to certify the film and ensure its release, the very same day the divisional bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan stayed the order, stating that the CBFC had not been allowed sufficient time to file a reply to the petition. Though the production house approached the Supreme Court, the court had dismissed the plea.
The leaked scenes have led to speculation of a political conspiracy by Vijay’s adversaries, among fans.
Meanwhile, reacting to the incident, the film’s director H Vinoth took to Instagram urging everyone to abstain from sharing the illegal footage.
“Every scene carries someone’s dream. The leak before release is truly painful. Please support by not sharing it,” he wrote.
Analysts and traders from the Tamil film industry also condemned the shocking act. Producer G Dhananjheyan expressly stated that the leak was meant to target Vijay.
“Shocked to see many scenes of #JanaNayagan being leaked online including introduction scene, climax scene etc. Now many are tweeting that full film is leaked, which is devastating. This is outrageous and highly condemnable whoever is responsible for this.”
He urged the KVN productions to immediately approach the court and take down the illegal videos.
“Film business is becoming dangerous and highly unpredictable with these kind of dangers all around a film. How much more you guys will target #ThalapathyVijay ‘s last film. ???” (sic) he wrote.
Filmmaker Arvind Srinivasan also expressed his condemnation over the leak. “The leak of the #Jananayagan edit reference watermarked footage is deeply concerning and unacceptable. As a filmmaker, I strongly condemn this incident. A lot of hard work, trust, and creative effort goes into every stage of filmmaking, and such actions undermine the integrity of the entire process.”
Pointing out that the leak has likely emerged from the editing process, he said that the edit/technical team should take responsibility to thoroughly investigate and identify the source of this breach.