Thalapathy Vijay’s final film, Jana Nayagan, was originally scheduled to release during Pongal on January 9 this year but faced a six-month delay. It was primarily caused by a prolonged dispute with the
CBFC. Despite giving it a U/A 16+ certification initially, the CBFC Chairperson received an internal complaint alleging the film hurt religious sentiments and improperly portrayed armed forces.
Following demands by the Revising Committee, the makers of Jana Nayagan executed extensive cuts, altered references to Vijay’s political party (TVK) and muted politically sensitive dialogues. Eventually, it received an A-certificate. But what further complicated the situation was that the film illegally leaked online, causing massive financial losses to its producers.
Now finally, Jana Nayagan is set for a worldwide theatrical release tomorrow (July 23). The euphoria surrounding it is sky high as it releases after Vijay assumed office as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Amid the battles the film went through and its pirated version still being floated around, will the H Vinoth directed political action thriller have a clean sweep at the box office?
A Rs 100 Crore Opening?
Chennai-based trade expert Ramesh Bala predicts, “The advance booking is very strong in Tamil Nadu along with Kerala and Karnataka. It should earn about Rs 60 crore in India and Rs 85-90 crore worldwide on day one.” According to Sacnilk, the advance bookings of Jana Nayagan has already hit more than Rs 15 crore with its Tamil version presales standing at about Rs 11 crore.
“In Tamil Nadu, everyone has forgotten the struggle and the delays it went through. Getting tickets to watch the film in its first weekend is getting difficult in Tamil Nadu. They’re selling like hot cake here. The opening will be huge as people are looking at it as a celebration of sorts,” he adds.
In a similar vein, film business expert and producer Girish Johar says, “The buzz is huge. I’m very positive about the film. I think it will clock more than Rs 100 crore on day one, worldwide. India alone will mint Rs 70 crore plus. The craze is humongous. Advance bookings are moving at a brisk pace. Everyone is excited.” He attributes it to Vijay’s star power, audience sentiment and a wide release.
“The film is releasing across 4000-5000 screens globally across multiple languages (Tamil, Telugu and Hindi). It may be releasing on a non-holiday but it doesn’t matter as the people in Tamil Nadu are happy with the work he’s doing as the Chief Minister. That will have a positive rub-off effect on the film’s collections,” he explains.
Leo Versus Jana Nayagan
Despite the hype surrounding Vijay’s swansong, it’s presale figures haven’t superceded Leo. Bala attributes it to multiple delays and the uncertainty over its release date. For the unversed, the Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial had recorded Rs 29.83 crore in domestic pre-sales. Vijay’s highest day-one collection also belongs to Leo, which grossed about Rs 148.5 crore globally.
“One can say that the buzz of Jana Nayagan is 80 percent the buzz of Leo. In January this year, the hype was bigger. At that time, nobody knew anything about the film. He was running for elections back then. A delayed release is both an upside and a downside. It’s like a double-edged sword. Before the release date was announced, the buzz was low. But it has picked up now,” Bala says.
“But after that, the film got leaked, which was very unfortunate. On the brighter side, he has now become the Chief Minister. People now want to give him extra love. This is their way of repaying his service to the state. His fans want to make it a big hit so that his image is maintained as the Chief Minister and his success streak continues,” he adds.
The Big Leak
Johar believes that it’s unlikely the leak will impact Jana Nayagan’s box office performance. “First, his fans know it’s his last film and they want to relish it in theatres. Secondly, I believe the makers have made some changes and there’s a difference in the content between the film that’s going to release and the version that got leaked.” he remarks.
Bala, on the other hand, isn’t too sure. “Usually, people watch his films in theatres over and over again. But since the pirated version is available online, we’ll have to wait and watch if audiences want to watch it again. We don’t know if the euphoria will dull down after the first weekend. But hopefully, those who’ve watched it on their mobile phones will watch it again on the big screen,” he states.
The leak has also led to a slew of reviews on social media – some good and some not. While Kasthuri Shankar and others have referred to it as a political propaganda to bolster Vijay’s party, Vinoth has defended his film. Vijay’s fans have followed suite, stating such reviews are part of a negative campaign run by fans of rival stars.
But Johar’s quite confident that Jana Nayagan will stand strong even in the face of such mixed reactions. “Commercial films always fetch mixed reviews. Look at Dhurandhar!. At the end of the day, people want to get entertained. To be honest, critical reviews aren’t an effective tool any longer. Most audiences are of the impression that reviews can be bought and rigged,” he says.
Fan Frenzy In Mumbai
Much like every year, Vijay’s fan club in the bay is exhilarated to catch the early morning special show. Vijay Makkal Iyyakkam will be hosting a screening at 5:30 am in Matunga’s Movietime Star City, the tickets of which has already been sold out. Alagusundaram A, Maharashtra State Head of VMI, tells us, “We’ll put up a 10×30 feet event banner and a photo zone/selfie point that will have sir’s cut-out.”
“We’ll place a special tribute board featuring a slogan so that fans can write messages and share their feelings about sir’s final film. We’ll also organise DJ music and a dance celebration before the show begins. We plan on handing out ‘thank you’ cards to fans attending it to express gratitude for their continuous support over the years,” he adds.
After the film is over, there will be a cake-cutting ceremony. And like every year, there will be a charity initiative. “This time, we’ll provide financial assistance worth Rs 25,000 for the ear surgery of a one-and-a-half year old child. We started doing these social activities after sir told us to not do doodh abhishekham but to help the needy during the release of 50th film, Sura,” he says.
For Alagusundaram and the rest of the fan club, the release of Jana Nayagan is a ‘bitter-sweet moment’. “None of us have watched the film yet. We had made a promise that we won’t watch the pirated version. This is his last film. It’s finally releasing after a lot of struggle. Had the film released in January, the title card would say ‘Actor Thalapathy Vijay’. But it now, it will read ‘Hon CM of Tamil Nadu, Thalapathy Vijay’. He’s serving the people of Tamil Nadu. We’re happy. We’re proud of him,” he shares.
