“Delete it immediately”: The Jana Nayagan production company launches an investigation and offers a severe warning following a film leak.

Ahead of its theatrical release, Tamil superstar Vijay’s last movie, Jana Nayagan, was leaked online, shocking the industry. The movie was supposed to be released on January 9th, but it has been in limbo for three months because it did not gain CBFC permission. The movie’s producers, KVN Productions, have now released an official statement about the problem, cautioning anyone who distributes, downloads, or forwards the movie.

The statement began, “We, KVN Productions, LLP, are the producers and exclusive copyright owners of the cinematograph film, Jana Nayagan. It has come to our notice that certain scenes and clips from the said film and in some cases, most of the film have been illegally accessed, copied, and circulated by unidentified persons, posing a serious threat of digital piracy.”

It continued, “We hereby notify that downloading, viewing, storing, forwarding, sharing, uploading, or circulating the leaked content through platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, websites, torrents, or any other medium is a criminal offence and violates copyright laws. Every digital action is traceable, and we have already initiated necessary investigations, including forensic investigations, and complaints against persons involved and are actively identifying all others in the chain of circulation. Strict civil and criminal proceedings will be pursued against every offender without exception.”

“The public is hereby strictly advised not to engage in any manner with the leaked content. Any person found involved shall face immediate legal action at their own risk as to consequences. If you receive such content, do not open, store or forward it. Delete it immediately,” concluded the statement.

The Tamil cinema industry has been shaken by the leak, which occurs right before Vijay enters politics with the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. A number of movie stars, including Chiranjeevi, Sivakarthikeyan, Suriya, GV Prakash Kumar, Khushbu Sundar, and Karthi, have publicly endorsed Vijay and the film’s producers and denounced the act of piracy. 

Jana Nayagan, which is directed by H Vinoth and produced by KVN Productions, has Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, and Mamitha Baiju in addition to Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain, and Priyamani. The political thriller, which was supposed to be released on January 9 but had to be rescheduled when the CBFC failed to certify it in time, was billed as Vijay’s last movie before he enters politics.