Pooja Hegde says Jana Nayagan leak is ‘disheartening' for team: ‘Don’t we deserve to celebrate Vijay sir’s last film?'

Pooja Hegde expressed disappointment over the illegal leak of Jana Nayagan, urging audiences to respect the film and its creators by watching it in theatres.

Actor Vijay's final unreleased film, Jana Nayagan, has leaked on piracy websites. As HD prints first appeared online, many actors from the Telugu and Tamil film industries condemned the leak. Now, the film's female lead, Pooja Hegde, has also expressed her hurt and disappointment over the leak, urging audiences to watch the film the right way, in theatres.

Pooja Hegde calls Jana Nayagan leak tough and disheartening.

Pooja Hegde condemns Jana Nayagan's leak online

On Saturday, Pooja took to Instagram and shared a post on her Instagram Story, which read, “My lovely audience. A film is the result of countless hours, creative risks, personal sacrifices, and a team that showed up every single day hoping to give you the best experience possible. Seeing our film leaked online is disheartening, not just for me, but for every single person who worked on it.”

Pooja Hegde talks about Jana Nayagan leak.

She added, “To see it being leaked and shared illegally is tough—not because of numbers, but because it takes away the respect that every artist and technician on the film deserves. Plus, don’t we all deserve to gather together to celebrate and watch Vijay sir’s last film, one last time, on the big screen in the right way? So let’s watch it the right way. Let’s wait. It will be out in due time. Let’s not encourage piracy. That’s how cinema and art will survive. Love, Art. Artists. Technicians.”

Jana Nayagan was scheduled to release in January, but was postponed after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) did not certify it. The CBFC raised objections to some of the film's content, after which the makers moved court. The matter is sub judice, and hence, the film’s release remains stalled. Now, amid that delay, the film has been leaked online. The incident has triggered a wave of outrage among the film fraternity. Rajinikanth expressed shock and pain over the leak, requesting the government to take strict action against those responsible, while Kamal Haasan called it an “attack on art”, among others.

About Jana Nayagan

Directed by H. Vinoth and backed by KVN Productions, Jana Nayagan is a political drama that marks Vijay’s final on screen appearance before his full-fledged entry into politics with his party, TVK. The film features an ensemble cast including Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Prakash Raj, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priyamani, and Narain in pivotal roles. It marks Vijay’s 69th outing as a lead actor, with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander.

While the makers are yet to announce an official release date, anticipation remains high for the project. Vijay is preparing to step into active politics through TVK, with both he and the party set to contest the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The actor and his party have alleged that the delay in the film’s release has been influenced by his political opponents.