Vishal has shared an emotional and heartfelt note, expressing his sadness on Vijay's upcoming film Jana Nayagan being leaked online on pirated sites. Taking to his X handle, the actor and Nadigar Sangam head had shared how he, as a fan of the actor's films, felt "disheartened" to see the makers' "effort, dedication and work being thrown down the drain."
"As your fan for the last two decades. Have been watching your movies at theatres and enjoying every bit of whistling away to my favourite hero / actor / performer," he stated, noting how he would watch the film and whistle for it even if it released on OTT or on TV.
Empathising with the star and the production house, Vishal hoped the film releases in theatres soon. "I don’t think it is so controversial but then the respected censor board have their own reasons. Hoping we all get to see your film soon legitimately," he added.
Social media sites have been filled furious fans sharing their angst on their favourite star's film leaked online weeks before its speculated release. Along with them, several notable faces from the Tamil film industry including Sivakarthikeyan, 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.
The Tamil Film Active Producers Association (TFAPA) has also expressed their "shock" and "anguish" on the film's leak. Condemning the incident, the council said the incident has "severely affected the earning potential of the film."
Jana Nayagan, which was slated to release for the Pongal festival, faced significant delays upon facing censor certificate-related issues. Responding to the leak, makers of Jana Nayagan have issued a strong legal notice, calling the act a serious criminal offence and copyright violation, the production house warned that anyone involved in downloading, sharing, or forwarding the leaked content, via platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, X, YouTube, or torrents, will face individual legal action.