Vijay farewell vs Stalin kin’s big-budget debut: Tamil Nadu’s political fight on big screen

On paper, it is a Pongal clash. In practice, it is a dress rehearsal. Two films. Two release dates. Two camps that speak like party mouthpieces even when they say they are only talking about cinema. Vijay’s Jana Nayagan lands first, on January 9. Parasakthi, produced by a member of the DMK first family, follows on January 10, its date having been advanced from January 14.

In the narrow space between those two mornings, Tamil Nadu will do what it does best. It will turn a festival into a referendum. Then it will go back to work.

There is a political fight, of course. But the fight is also personal, between DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin’s ecosystem and Vijay’s new party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

Jana Nayagan is being billed as Vijay’s last screen appearance before a full-fledged political career. The production house announced the date, coinciding with Pongal, online, saying: “Adiyum othaiyum kalanthu vechu vidiya vidiya virundhu vecha (roughly translated as, ‘Mixing rhythm and tune together, they laid out a feast that lasted till dawn’).” A fan responded in kind to the post, saying: “One last raid by the Master of the Box Office.”

The trailer of the film, unveiled on January 3, was also unambiguous. The hero played by Vijay, with the initials the same as the superstar’s party’s — Thalapathy Vetri Kondan or TVK — is asked in it by a child if he is “superman”. The hero, portrayed as both a revered figure and a father, replies: “I am just an ordinary man. But I have heard people say that whatever I do is super.” It ends with the hero promising: “I am coming.”

Parasakthi, starring Sivakarthikeyan, is directed by Sudha Kongara and produced by Aakash Baskaran, who has shot into prominence in Kollywood largely because of his first high‑budget slate under Dawn Pictures and his marital links to the DMK’s first family. Baskaran, whose wife is Karunanidhi’s great-granddaughter, is also facing an Enforcement Directorate probe.

Parasakthi is based in the 1960s and around anti-Hindi agitations. The trailer shows a law being passed to enforce Hindi as the sole official language nationwide, sparking off protests. Annadurai appears in passing. One line carefully fends off any attacks, saying: “We are only against the imposition of Hindi; not against Hindi or its native speakers.”

A whisper campaign, however, has started that the anti-Hindi portions may be cut more, which could be an incendiary spark in the poll-bound state.

Both films carry tags of Rs 100 crore-plus budgets, with Jana Nayagan about Rs 50 crore ahead because of Vijay’s price. But they have been styled differently, in keeping with the personas they want to project. Jana Nayagan is all about its hero: a perfect vehicle for a superstar who is entering a new battle. Parasakthi draws its prestige from its political ideology, delivered in high production values.

The simmering tension has found a reflection off-screen. Parasakthi posters were torn down during a Jana Nayagan trailer screening in Madurai, and Vijay fans were blamed. “TVK” chants disrupted a Parasakthi audio launch event in Chennai.

A careful balance has been achieved, on the other hand, in the screen allocations. The Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners’ Association says Jana Nayagan may open in 500 to 600 screens and Parasakthi in 400 to 450, out of a total of 1,200, with other releases sharing the rest.

The Parasakthi star Sivakarthikeyan has admitted nervousness. Parasakthi was first planned for Diwali, then shifted to Pongal, ostensibly to avoid a clash with Vijay’s Jana Nayagan. But now the two films are releasing back to back. As per sources, Parasakthi producers tried to move the date again, but investors, calendars and the looming 2026 elections made this difficult.

Insiders say they also approached Vijay’s team for postponement, urging that their film would be wiped out against his farewell vehicle. But was told: “Since it’s Pongal, both films have enough space and will not affect each other at the box office.”

It was after this that Sivakarthikeyan is believed to have put out his astute appeal: “Everyone, please go and watch Jana Nayagan on January 9 and celebrate it. We are talking about a man who has entertained us for 33 years. After that, on January 10, come to the theatres, watch Parasakthi…”

A source who has been part of the political design of Parasakthi since the start says it may be all theatrics, but there is a message. “A film is not a manifesto. A trailer is not a policy. A Pongal crowd is not an electorate. But in Tamil Nadu, cinema is also a rehearsal… It is a place where a name can feel like a slogan, and a slogan can feel like a promise.”

Meanwhile, one side will definitely be the winner: the theatre owners.