Fans celebrate as Vijay’s swansong Jana Nayagan hits cinemas across Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI – After a string of delays that tested everyone’s patience, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and actor Joseph Vijay’s much-anticipated film Jana Nayagan (2026) opened in theatres on July 23.Given how long fans had been waiting, it’s no surprise the first-day-first shows were packed.Actor Jai spoke to reporters after the release and had nothing but praise for Vijay’s fans, who stuck with the project through all the setbacks.He said the film had cleared plenty of obstacles and opposition before finally making it to theatres, and that fans were always going to insist on watching it on the big screen, no matter what. Even if it had dropped on a mobile platform first, he joked, people still would have wanted the theatre experience.He also brought up the line “I’m Waiting” while thanking audiences for their patience, saying their loyalty throughout this whole journey meant a lot.Jai didn’t stop at the film. He also touched on Vijay’s political career, congratulating him on becoming Chief Minister and wishing him well in the role. He said he hoped Vijay’s leadership would not just last five years but would carry on for generations, and asked people to keep backing him fully.Across Tamil Nadu, the release turned into something close to a celebration. Fans started lining up outside cinemas from the early morning to grab seats for the first show. At Rohini Theatre in Chennai’s Koyambedu, the queues stretched on for quite a while, with people clearly in no hurry to leave.Outside, the mood was electric. Fans danced, cheered, and generally made a scene of the whole thing, which says a lot about how big Vijay’s following really is.As expected, fans went all out with giant cut-outs and posters of Vijay and the film. These spots quickly turned into unofficial photo points, with people gathering to take pictures and soak in the release-day buzz.Vijay had confirmed the date earlier in July through an Instagram post, sharing a new poster and revealing July 23 as the day. That announcement alone got fans talking again after the earlier delays had left things uncertain.Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan brings together Mamitha Baiju, Pooja Hegde, Prakash Raj, Bobby Deol, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priyamani, and Narain alongside Vijay.Anirudh Ravichander composed the music, Sathyan Sooryan handled the cinematography, Pradeep E. Ragav edited the film, and V. Selvakumar took care of production design. THE STATESMAN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK