‘Jana Nayakan’, which is considered to be the last film of ‘Uncrowned King’ Vijay of Tamil cinema, is at the center of controversies and discussions these days. While the news of the film being leaked online has given sleepless nights to the makers, there is also a heated discussion in the corridors whether this is a well thought out strategy or a ‘silent attack’ by Vijay before starting his political innings?In South Indian cinema, whenever the name of a star who has ruled millions of hearts with his screen presence is taken, that name is Vijay. In his illustrious career of just 69 films, Vijay has traveled from ‘Ilayathalapathy’ (young commander) to ‘Thalapathy’ (commander) and now to ‘Jana Nayakan’ (people’s hero) in politics.
The story of Joseph Vijay becoming ‘Thalapati’
Born on June 22, 1974, Joseph Vijay Chandrashekhar had cinema in his blood. His father S.A. Chandrashekhar is a famous director and mother Shobha Chandrashekhar is a playback singer. Vijay started his career as a child actor, but his first film as a lead actor was ‘Naalaiya Theerpu’ (1992), which he signed when he was just 18 years old.
After initial struggles, Vijay established himself as a mass hero who is adept at dancing and singing along with acting. The unwavering love of his fans gave him the title of ‘Thalapathy’, which has become his identity today.
continuous successes
Vijay ‘Thalapathy’ has given many hit films, including ‘Theri’, ‘Rajavin Paravayile’, ‘Minsara Kanna’, ‘Beast’ and ‘Shahjahan’. In the year 2023, his film ‘Leo’ broke many records at the box office. Apart from this, his performance in his upcoming film ‘The Greatest of All Time’ is also being praised. Before entering politics, Vijay had worked in ‘Jana Nayakan’, which was rumored to be his last film. However, the film ran into controversy even before its release. Although it was supposed to be released in the beginning of this year, it has not reached the theaters yet.
‘Jana Nayakan’ controversy
‘Jana Nayakan’ initially faced delays in getting clearance from the Censor Board, and the matter reached court. Recently, this film also got leaked online. From time to time it has also faced intermittent opposition for various reasons. This is not the first time that a Vijay film has been embroiled in controversies. Even before ‘Jana Nayakan’, many of his films had to face similar problems. For example, there was a lot of uproar about his film ‘Thalaivaa’, released in 2013. The film’s tagline ‘Time to Lead’ is a tribute to the then Chief Minister J. The government led by Jayalalithaa did not like it. Ultimately, the film was released after overcoming many difficulties.
Similarly, controversy had also arisen regarding Vijay’s 2018 film ‘Sarkar’. This film was accused of showing government schemes in a wrong way, due to which political parties opposed it.