Fans and party functionaries turned out in large numbers to celebrate the premiere of the Tamil film Jana Nayagan, the swansong of actor and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay in Tiruchi on Thursday.

The highly anticipated film, originally meant to be released on January 9 ahead of the Pongal festival, was delayed due to censorship certification and a legal battle. A high-definition print of Jana Nayagan was leaked by online piracy sites in April, adding to the filmmakers’ woes.

However, all problems were forgotten as cinema theatres and multiplexes in the city ran to full houses from Thursday morning. Flex boards with congratulatory messages were put up all over Tiruchi to announce the release.

For many, especially members of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the movie was an emotional experience, considering Mr. Vijay’s long innings as an actor is coming to an end.

M. Ravisankar, Deputy Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly, addressed the media after watching the film in a theatre in Tiruchi and said it was sad that Mr. Vijay would no longer been seen on the big screen after this.

Ticket prices

“We will be running six shows of Jana Nayagan on all our six screens today. The morning show was sold out, with 1,514 viewers coming in. We are expecting house-full shows for the rest of the day,” a senior official of LA Cinema’s multiplex in Tiruverumbur told The Hindu.

Most major theatres avoided offering bulk bookings for fan clubs to give everyone an opportunity to watch the film. “We have maintained an online system for ticket booking at ₹190 per ticket. We want everyone to watch the film easily,” said the LA Cinema official.

In several theatres, to cash in on the ‘first day first show’ craze, tickets were being sold for upwards of ₹500 in black, complained many fans. “My son wanted to watch the film today, but tickets at our local theatre were priced at ₹500, so I refused. We will just have to wait and see the movie on TV or OTT, later,” said a parent.

Fan frenzy

Diehard fans dressed up in T-shirts bearing Vijay’s image burst firecrackers outside theatres in the Chathiram area. Two caparisoned dancing horses added to the festive atmosphere, as people queued up patiently for their turn to enter the cinema.

Members of the TVK’s women’s wing, dressed in matching lavender saris, attended a show with great aplomb. With cinema theatres running out of parking space, two-wheelers could be seen parked helter-skelter on the pavements outside.

Inside the movie halls, wild cheering broke out during the opening credits as the leading man’s still captioned ‘The Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thalapathy Vijay’ came on screen. College students Gokul and Godwin were eager to catch their hero’s film in the theatre after attending class on Thursday evening. “I have grown up watching Vijay’s films, usually as ‘first day first shows’. I don’t want to miss the opportunity this time, though I do not know if the tickets will be available,” said Mr. Gokul.

Mr. Godwin said he was going to watch the film on the big screen even though he had already seen the leaked version online. “I like Vijay’s action scenes. He is also a cool dancer and singer. I don’t mind watching the film again just to see if they have made any changes from the leaked one,” he said.

Published - July 23, 2026 07:36 pm IST