CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s Jana Nayagan was meant to be his last act before his transition from cinema to politics, but the megastar’s final film is arriving as a cinematic celebration of a man who has already conquered the ballot box.
After much delay in obtaining certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which pushed its release date, originally slated for January 9, and an online leak of the film, Vijay’s 69th flick will be released in around 1,000 screens across Tamil Nadu on Thursday.
Tickets sold out within minutes of bookings opening on online platforms, with several theatres opening reservations in the wee hours.
While Vijay now helms the state, one familiar feature of his film releases appears unchanged, at least in Chennai: black-market ticket sales. Several fans took to X to allege that some theatres were selling tickets for Rs 500 to Rs 800, while black-market prices ranged from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000.
Many also alleged that several theatres released only a limited number of tickets online and sold the rest on the black market. While advance sales have crossed the Rs 15-crore mark domestically, trade analysts project a massive Day 1 collection of Rs 50-Rs 60 crore across India.
‘Mins, dist functionaries instructed to oversee celebrations at theatres’
Even as fans geared up for the release, sources said CM C Joseph Vijay watched the movie at the Tagore Film Centre in Adyar on Wednesday, ahead of its theatrical debut.
“Response for the film is as we expect for a Vijay film,” said Tiruppur Subramanian, president of Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners’ and Exhibitors’ Association.
“We knew that despite the film being leaked, people will want a theatre experience too,” he said. Complaining about black market sale, S Dharsan, an IT professional, said, “I paid Rs 800 for a ticket at a theatre in Chennai where I usually watch the first day first show. Tickets were in high demand in the city. However, many of my friends in tier-II cities such as Tiruchy and Madurai were able to book their tickets online without much difficulty.”
Across several tier-II cities, theatres have planned celebratory events, with DJs set to play Vijay’s hit songs ahead of the first show scheduled at 9am. With Jana Nayagan, Vijay joins MG Ramachandran in the rare distinction of having a film released after becoming Tamil Nadu’s CM.
However, with the film receiving an ‘A’ certificate, children, widely credited with playing a role in Vijay’s electoral success, will not be able to watch it in theatres.
The release has also become a significant moment for the ruling TVK, with the party leadership asking ministers and functionaries to celebrate it like a festival in their respective districts. Party sources said ministers and district-level functionaries have been instructed to oversee celebrations at theatres while ensuring that neither they nor party workers become involved in ticket sales or any activity that could invite controversy.
Ministers have instead been asked to coordinate the celebrations and ensure they remain orderly. A senior minister, who began his political journey through the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (VMI), said he could never separate his identity as a Vijay fan from his role as a minister.
“I am a minister today only because I was a hardcore Vijay fan. That’s how I joined the fans’ club, then the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, later TVK, and today I am a minister. We will always celebrate him, both on-screen and off-screen. Though we will miss seeing him on screen, he will continue to lead us off-screen as chief minister for many decades to come,” the minister said.