After a six-month-long wait, Thalapathy Vijay’s Jana Nayagan was finally released in theatres on July 23, and director H Vinoth is heaving a huge sigh of relief.
The film opened to a worldwide gross of Rs 78 crore on Day 1 and is set to make Rs 200+ crore this weekend, according to Sacnilk.
This is a fantastic achievement for a film that was leaked online, delayed extensively, and faced some negative reviews.
As director H. Vinoth gets into an exclusive chat with NDTV, he admits it has been a testing time for him and the film’s producer, Venkat K. Narayana of KVN Productions.
Q: Is Vinoth happy now that the film has been released and is doing well in theatres?
A: The Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru director smiles and says, “Of course I’m happy, but more than that, I’m relieved – it’s like we finally came out of a huge problem. And the reception by fans for Thalapathy’s last film, celebrating him and his life, makes me really happy.”
Q: And what did Tamil Nadu CM Vijay say after watching the film before its release?
A: He hugged me and said, ‘at last,’ and smiled; he was happy with the film. The producer, Venkat K. Narayana, endured the most difficulty, but it’s a lifetime, though costly, memory for him. In the future, if there’s anything I can do for the producer, I will.
Q: But was Vinoth concerned about the fact that Jana Nayagan opened to negative reviews from many critics?
A: I haven’t read most of the reviews. Moreover, we need to look at which is a paid review and which is a genuine one – in today’s age of PR culture, where there is organised influencer marketing that extends to reviews, we need to assess what is real. If there is genuine feedback, I’ll definitely accept it. From day one, I knew Jana Nayagan was a complete commercial entertainer, and we have a reference movie (Bhagavanth Kesari) too. Any review should see how we have made Jana Nayagan in relation to that instead of judging it as a new film. In today’s world, it’s become difficult to find out which journalist is being honest, and I don’t want to mentally stress myself over that.”
I wanted to tell a story, and I have done it to the best of my intelligence and capability. People have watched the film, have appreciated it, and I’m happy. I have conveyed certain messages in Jana Nayagan, and if critics think I haven’t conveyed them well, let them ensure that they convey that messaging to the people of the country. You can dislike the film; that’s your right, but discuss the issue we have raised – that’s important for me.
Q: Jana Nayagan, in fact, features a lot of political messaging in addition to social issues such as women’s empowerment, child sexual abuse, women’s safety, abuse of power, and corruption. The political messaging in the film included many aspects and instances of Tamil Nadu politics, as well as Vijay’s own political ideology and public positioning. How tough was it to incorporate this and Vijay’s superstar persona into the Bhagavanth Kesari remake?
A: It’s not about whether it was easy or tough – that’s my job, and that’s what I’m getting paid for. I have to deliver what’s required. I always enjoy telling stories based on real-life incidents, and I have included incidents that have affected me in that film.
One important social theme featured in the film is child sexual abuse, and we see Vijay educating young girls about safety and good touch-bad touch. In fact, this scene found resonance with many women and mothers who watched the film.
Reacting to this, Vinoth said, “A lot of women appreciated this scene and told me they watched the film only for this scene. This is one of Vijay sir’s most favourite scenes in the film. I asked him about this scene in particular and told him about how many actors and schools are also educating students on this. He smiled and said, ‘I want to talk about this too.’ This is why I believe Vijay sir is an extraordinary person – far beyond what people perceive or judge him to be. He is quiet but highly intelligent. The ability to understand what people think and what is required for society is one of his biggest strengths.”
Q: When Vinoth had narrated his original screenplay to Thalapathy Vijay, the star-turned-politician had said he couldn’t get it but told him that he would like to remake Balayya’s Bhagavanth Kesari. Didn’t the Valimai director have second thoughts and feel that he had to compromise?
A: Of course! Anyone will have second thoughts about this. But the point is – if you can’t convince an actor about your own story, how will you get work? It’s a simple rule: if you want work, then you need to do what is required. My entire problem is that I compromise a lot, especially in production.
Q: Having worked closely with Vijay on the film and now seeing him as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, was there a big difference between the real-life Vijay and the political personality people see today?
A: I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to answer that. All I will say is that he has very good intentions. When he speaks about social and political issues like women’s empowerment, women’s safety, and corruption, he genuinely believes in what he is saying and wants to do good for the people.
