Jana Nayagan Vs Parasakthi On Pongal: Producer Of Sivakarthikeyan Starrer Reacts To 'Political Motivations' Driving Box Office Clash With Thalapathy Vijay's Final Film

Jana Nayagan Vs Parasakthi: Thalapathy Vijay is all set to bid adieu to acting in movies. Said to be his final film, Jana Nayagan is all set to release on January 9 on the occasion of Pongal amid huge anticipation. Since it is Vijay's swansong, fans are planning a special farewell for him and as expected, box office will be on fire. Taking note of Vijay's fans' feelings, the makers of the Telugu film The Raja Saab have avoided a direct clash with Jana Nayagan and will instead release the Prabhas starrer in Tamil Nadu a day later, on January 10. However, Jana Nayagan will have a box office opponent in another Kollywood film, Parasakthi, starring Sivakarthikeyan.

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How Jana Nayagan Vs Parasakthi clash has political undertones

Parasakthi’s release date was preponed from January 15 to January 10 seemingly out of nowhere. Sivakarthikeyan's film is bankrolled by Dawn Pictures, a firm aligned with DMK-linked interests. Since Vijay and his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) have positioned themselves as DMK's direct rival, it is being alleged that preponement of Parasakthi to clash with Jana Nayagan is a politically motivated move to hurt the latter's returns at the box office and affect Vijay's image before he plunges fully into politics ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections.

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Parasakthi arriving early also deprives Jana Nayagan of its planned five-day solo run before the Pongal weekend. Sivakarthikeyan seems to be cornered as he had once counted Vijay among his screen inspirations. Sivakarthikeyan, with his recent hit streak, is also pegged to be Vijay's successor at the Tamil Nadu box office. However, Tamil stars who were co-stars in The GOAT are now unwilling box office rivals.  

Parasakthi producer reacts to box office clash

Producer Aakash Baskaran, who has bankrolled Parasakthi, called the talk around the clash an "unnecessary controversy". "Usually, during the Pongal festival, it is common to see several films releasing together. 20 years ago, over ten films would release together. Then it was reduced to five, and then three and two. During this time, it is highly unlikely to see just a single film releasing. It is quite common to see two films releasing. It is fair. I hope people see it as a healthy thing rather than from a competitive lens," said Baskaran.

About preponing Parasakthi and making it a near-simultaneous release as Vijay's Jana Nayagan, Baskaran added, "We had to move the release date as many theatre owners, exhibitors and distributors suggested that we release it with a one-day or two-day gap between major releases to utilise the 10-day festive holiday to the fullest. They noted that if we release it prior, they would be able to manage showtimes in a better way and ensure that both the films get equal space."