Drums, Dance and Devotion: CM Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan' releases set celebrations across theatres in South India
Chennai, July 23
An extraordinary wave of celebration unfolded as the followers and fans of actor and the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu C Joseph Vijay gathered outside the theatres on the release of his 'last' film Jana Nayagan on Thursday. From early-morning festivities and special fan events to vibrant celebrations in cities and towns, the love of the people for Vijay has drawn widespread attention.
Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan also stars Bobby Deol, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju and Pooja Hegde in the lead roles. After several months of delay, the film has been released in more than a thousand theatres in Tamil Nadu. The ruling TVK party executives and fans are celebrating this by offering sweets and expressing their happiness.
Supporters of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) celebrated the theatrical release of 'Jana Nayagan', starring Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK president Vijay, with traditional Pongal festivities at the Kasi Amman Theatre in the Vikravandi area of Villupuram district.
At the Kasi Amman Theatre, TVK functionaries led by Villupuram South-West District Secretary Vadivel performed a traditional Pongal ceremony at the theatre entrance.
Fans also carried out a milk 'abhishekam' of Vijay's cut-out, danced to songs from the film, and marked the occasion with enthusiastic celebrations.
As part of the release-day events, the organisers distributed free movie tickets to members of the Narikuravar community and members of the public, inviting them to watch the film at the theatre.
From early morning celebrations to fans dancing to music, confetti, giant cut-outs, enthusiastic chants and cheers outside cinema halls, the film's arrival transformed theatres into festive venues in different districts, including Ramanathapuram, Nilgiris, Ranipet and others.
In Ranipet, the fans of Vijay also organised dance performances on the hit songs of the actor's films. It was performed to pay tribute to the actor and his contribution to th entertainment industry.
The release of Jana Nayagan was nothing short of a celebration in Nilgris as the fans welcomed it with music and drums.
Apart from Tamil Nadu, the fans of the actor in Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad and Bengaluru also expressed their excitement by installing huge cutouts of the actor and cutting cake outside the theatre halls.
Apart from fans, the Tamil Nadu Ministers also expressed their enthusiasm on the release of TVK leader and TN CM Vijay's movie 'Jana Nayagan' on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu Ministers SPK Thennarasu and RV Ranjith Kumar joined fans in to celebrate the release of 'Jana Nayagan'. The film is welcomed by fans with drum performances, DJ music and dance celebrations outside theatres.
At Babu Cinemas in , Ministers Thennarasu and Ranjith Kumar watched the film along with party functionaries amid enthusiastic celebrations. To mark the occasion, Minister Thennarasu arranged and personally served hot chicken biryani, laddus, raita and brinjal curry to moviegoers at the theatre, ensuring fans were provided with food during the celebrations.
As part of an environmental awareness initiative, tree saplings were also distributed to fans on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department Minister. The initiative encouraged every household to plant and nurture at least one tree to help improve the environment.
Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar visited Chennai's Sathyam Theatre in the early hours of Thursday to watch 'Jana Nayagan'.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Madan Raja joined party workers and fans in celebrating the release. He was welcomed by party functionaries at Charing Cross before garlanding the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and offering prayers at the Sri Mariamman and Kaliamman temples for the film's success.
Many fans also expressed their love for Jana Nayagan by calling it a historic day in cinema and Tamil Nadu politics.
Speaking to ANI, a fan shared, "Before the elections, it was Thalapathy Vijay's film; now it is CM Vijay. We are very excited as the film has arrived after so many struggles. It is a historic day for Tamil cinema and Tamil Nadu politics."
A female fan, Aishwarya, expressed delight on the film's release and added, "We are super excited and also very emotional as it is his last film. We have been waiting for two hours for the screen to open."
"I have been a Thalapathy fan since I was a kid and my mother is also a fan," one said.
The film featured music by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan, editing by Pradeep E Ragav and production design by V Selvakumar.'
The film was originally expected to be released during Pongal on January 9. The film ran into trouble when the CBFC decided to hold back its certification on the grounds that certain scenes in the movie could potentially hurt religious sentiments.
Over the past thirty years, Vijay has delivered a remarkable body of work, cementing his place as one of Indian cinema's biggest superstars. As he reportedly prepares to bid farewell to acting with his 'final' film, Jana Nayagan, he leaves behind an unforgettable legacy, especially with his films such as Leo, Bigil, Ghilli, and Pokkiri.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, I feel this is too much ghamand (arrogance) for a film release. Ministers serving biryani and distributing saplings? It's good for publicity but worrying for a democracy. What about the crores spent on these celebrations when people are struggling with inflation? Just my two rupees! 🤔
I'm from Bengaluru and we had a cake-cutting event here! The energy was amazing - people of all ages came together. CM Vijay's journey from cinema to politics shows what passion can achieve. And distributing tree saplings is a great initiative - at least something positive comes out of this hype! 🌳💚
As someone who grew up watching Vijay's films, this is bittersweet. While I'm happy for his political success, I'll miss his screen presence. 'Ghilli' and 'Pokkiri' are timeless! But using a film release for political grandstanding feels off. Hope he focuses more on governance now instead of such spectacle. 🤷♂️
Fascinating to see how Indian cinema and politics blend so seamlessly! In the US, you'd never see a governor starring in a massive film release like this. The cultural reverence for actors here is incredible. That said, I hope the CM prioritizes his duties over fan events - governance is not a movie script. 🎥🇮🇳
The milk abhishekam on Vijay's cut-out is a bit too much for my taste. We do that for deities, not
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