Chennai: A film led by a serving Chief Minister has released in Tamil Nadu after a gap of 50 years, with Chief Minister Vijay’s ‘Jan Nayagan’ hitting theatres on Wednesday.
The movie was initially planned for a January release this year, but ran into controversy after the censor board declined to grant certification. The issue then moved into legal proceedings, leading to further delays before the eventual release.
According to the report, ‘Jan Nayagan’ has opened in around 1,000 screens in Tamil Nadu, 3,000 across India, and over 5,000 screens worldwide.
The development has drawn comparisons with M G Ramachandran (MGR). In 1977, MGR’s ‘Meenava Nanban’ released about two months after he took office as Chief Minister, while another film he directed and acted in, ‘Maduraiyai Meetta Sundarapandiyan’, released roughly six months after his swearing-in.
With Vijay now in office, theatre owners have said they expect strong public response, noting that audiences in Tamil Nadu are witnessing a sitting Chief Minister as a lead actor on the big screen for the first time in five decades.
