Sivakarthikeyan's Parasakthi trailer upsets Vijay's Jana Nayagan to be most viewed Tamil trailer ahead of Pongal clash

Jana Nayagan, starring Vijay, and Parasakthi, starring Sivakarthikeyan, are releasing within one day of each other ahead of Pongal.

Vijay is bidding adieu to a stellar acting career that has spanned over three decades with his upcoming release, Jana Nayagan. The film, which will be his last before he takes a full-fledged into politics, is heavily hyped. And yet, the makers of Sivakarthikeyan’s Parasakthi chose to clash with it on the same release week. While many had wondered about the feasibility of this clash given Vijay’s star power, early indicators suggest that Parasakthi might hold its own against the juggernaut. The trailer of Parasakthi did the unthinkable - garnered more views than Jana Nayagan in the first 24 hours. And while online buzz is not the only indicator of stardom, this is an upset for sure.

Parasakthi stars Sivakarthikeyan in the lead.

Parasakthi trailer beats Jana Nayagan

Jana Nayagan dropped its trailer on Saturday evening, and as expected, it got thousands of views and likes on YouTube in a matter of minutes. As Vijay’s fans flocked the social media to praise their hero’s final film, the trailer managed 34 million views in the first 24 hours, a new record for any Tamil film. But this record was short-lived.

On Sunday, the trailer of Parasakthi was released, and it gained traction on YouTube at an unprecedented pace. In the first 24 hours, the trailer went past 40 million views on the platform, dethroning Jana Nayagan and setting a new benchmark for Tamil cinema.

Sivakarthikeyan's rising star

Over the last decade, trailers of Vijay, Ajith, and Rajinikanth have largely held these sorts of records, testament to their star power. Kamal Haasan also generated buzz for Vikram in 2022. But the newer generation has largely fallen short so far. With Parasakthi, Sivakarthikeyan seems to want to start a change in that direction. The box office receipts of the film may still fall short of Jana Nayagan’s mania, but it is a positive sign for Tamil cinema that younger actors are connecting with the masses in a grand fashion.

All about the Pongal clash

Parasakthi is a historical political action drama film directed by Sudha Kongara, and also starring Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa and Sreeleela. The film releases in theatres on 10 January. On the other hand, directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan is also a political drama with Vijay at its centre. The film also stars Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, and Mamitha Baiju. It releases on 9 January.

Jana Nayagan is Vijay’s final film before he devotes his time to his political career as the leader of his political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).