Ever since Vijay's upcoming actioner Jana Nayagan, directed by H Vinoth, was leaked online on Thursday, the film fraternity has been rallying in support behind the actor and the makers with some major names and organisations condemning the act.

In the latest development, the Film Employees' Federation of South India has shared a press release, registering their angst against those indulging in piracy. Calling it a "distressing incident", FEFSI noted that the leak has shocked not only the Tamil film industry but the entire Indian film industry.

"A property worth Rs 500 crore has been stolen. The pirated version of the film is spreading across lakhs of computers and mobile devices. This is one of the biggest thefts to have taken place in India. Shockingly, there seems to be no authority to question this, and the film has openly reached millions of viewers," they wrote, highlighting the scale of the leak and its negative impact on the makers and the actor-politician.

The FEFSI further requested the Central and State governments to take "immediate action" to prevent further spread of the piracy and to "protect Jana Nayagan and the film industry."

Earlier, the Tamil Film Active Producers Association (TFAPA) had also released a statement on the act, noting that the incident has "severely affected the earning potential of the film."

Further, they requested the Information & Broadcasting Ministry and the government of Tamil Nadu to take suo motu action against the issue and remove all the content "on war footing" to "save Tamil Cinema."

Several notable names from the Tamil film industry including Suriya, Karthi, Sivakarthikeyan, Jiiva, GV Prakash, Vijay Antony, Shanthnu, Khushbu Sundar, Sibi Sathyaraj, producer Suresh Kamatchi, G Dhananjheyan and others voiced their concern on piracy and urged people to respect filmmakers and the hard work that goes behind making films. They also requested audiences to take down any links related to the film.

Produced by KVN Productions, Jana Nayagan was scheduled to hit theatres for the festive occasion of Pongal but faced many delays owing to censor certificate-related issues. While a release date is yet to be decided due to legal hurdles, it is expected that the film will be out after the Tamil Nadu assembly elections which will take place on April 23 or post the result declaration on May 4. But the recent leak has emerged as a major setback for the makers.