Here's how Prabhas' The Raja Saab manages to avoid a clash with Vijay's Jana Nayagan despite releasing on the same day

Both The Raja Saab and Jana Nayagan are releasing on 9 January, 2026; but the makers of the Prabhas-starrer have found an ingenious way to avoid a clash.

The trailer for Prabhas' upcoming fantasy horror film, The Raja Saab, was unveiled on Monday evening. The film, which was earlier slated for a release in December, has now been pushed back to 9 January. However, that puts it in the crosshairs of another mega south film - Tamil superstar Vijay's Jana Nayagan. However, despite not changing their release date, the makers of The Raja Saab have managed to avert a direct clash with the film.

Both The Raja Saab and Jana Nayagan are releasing on 9 January, 2026

The Raja Saab's staggered release strategy

The Raja Saab, directed by Maruthi, marks Prabhas' return to the comedy and mass entertainment genre for the first time in over a decade. Naturally, the buzz is high for the film. People Media Factory, the production house behind the film, has announced that while the film will release in Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam on 9 January, the release of the Tamil-dubbed version will be a day later, on January 10. Prabhas' films tend to get a sizable audience in Tamil Nadu, and the makers felt it was a smart idea to avoid clashing with Vijay's film, arguably the biggest Tamil star right now.

Why avoiding clash with Jana Nayagan is necessary

Vijay, along with Rajinikanth, is the biggest name in Tamil cinema right now. He has delivered only hits in the last decade, with all his last 10 films crossing ₹200 crore. The openings of his three previous films have crossed ₹100 crore each, signifying his stature. Jana Nayagan is to be his last film, before the actor takes the political plunge. It is expected that the film will break all opening records for Tamil cinema, and may just end up registering one of the biggest openings in Indian cinema history. Makers of The Raja Saab probably wanted to avoid their film from getting swept away in the Jana Nayagan tsunami. The delayed release of the Tamil version of The Raja Saab will allow the film to generate some decent opening, while not directly competing with a native Tamil film.

All about The Raja Saab

The Raja Saab also stars Sanjay Dutt, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar, Boman Irani, and Zarina Wahab. Prabhas has a dual role in the film, the first for the actor in his career. The film's plot revolves around a young man who sets his eyes on his ancestral property to ease him out of a cash crunch.