With just days to go before the release of Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, one question continues to dominate social media: Is the film really a remake of Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Telugu hit Bhagavanth Kesari? Director H Vinoth has now addressed the rumours, confirming that while the film is inspired by the Telugu blockbuster, it has been extensively reworked for Vijay.
Speaking to Screen, Vinoth said, “We made changes to the script to fit Vijay accordingly.” He shared more details during an interview with Galatta Plus, revealing that the similarities are limited. “Jana Nayagan is about 50 per cent inspired by Bhagavanth Kesari. While the first half has 60 per cent similarity, the second half has only 20 per cent.”
Why H Vinoth Agreed To Adapt The Story
The filmmaker also admitted that he wasn’t keen on directing another adaptation after remaking Pink as Nerkonda Paarvai with Ajith Kumar. However, it was Vijay who convinced him to take another look at Bhagavanth Kesari.
“One thing I admire about Vijay, sir, is that he’s deeply committed to women’s empowerment. I saw the same conviction in Ajith sir when we worked on the Pink remake. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to work on Vijay sir’s last film,” Vinoth shared.
How The Remake Rumours Around Jana Nayagan Started?
Speculation around Jana Nayagan being a remake began in January 2025 after actor VTV Ganesh claimed at an event that Vijay had watched Bhagavanth Kesari at least five times and wanted director Anil Ravipudi to helm its Tamil remake. According to the claim, the filmmaker turned down the offer.
Months later, Anil Ravipudi dismissed the reports and chose not to label the film as a remake before its release. “He is a superb gentleman. This is his final film as he leaves cinema for politics. So let us wait for the film to release to know if I have a role to play in it or not,” Anil had said during a press conference in December 2025.
He further added, “After the release everyone will know how they have treated it, and it would be correct to talk only then. Let us not call it a remake or anything else till then.”
What We Know About Jana Nayagan?
Jana Nayagan stars Vijay alongside Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju and Bobby Deol. The film is particularly significant as it is Vijay’s final movie before stepping away from acting following his political victory in Tamil Nadu with his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party.
The film will release on July 23 in Tamil, Telugu as Jana Nayakudu, and Hindi as Jan Neta.
