Fans click pictures of huge banners of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay placed outside Mukunda Cinemas on Dodda Banaswadi Main Road in Bengaluru, ahead of the release of his movie ‘Jana Nayagan’
\| Photo Credit: J. Allen Egenuse

As Jana Nayagan gears up for release on July 23, 2026 (Thursday), perhaps the last in actor Vijay’s repertoire, as he is busy as Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, let us leap back in time. The year 1992 was drawing to a close, and on December 2, Mr. Vijay’s maiden venture as a solo hero Naalaiya Theerpu was released.

As an 18-year-old pursuing B.Sc. (Visual Communication) in Loyola College in Chennai, this was Mr. Vijay’s moment to shed his previous child-artiste image and carve a fresh path. Many in the institution were aware that he was director S.A. Chandrasekhar’s son, and in a college with alumni like actors Vikram and Arvind Swamy, stardust and glitter seemed inevitable.

Published - July 22, 2026 11:36 am IST