Thalapathy Vijay’s much-awaited political action drama Jana Nayagan has shown signs of recovery at the box office after witnessing a sharp drop on its second day. Released in theatres on July 23, the film opened to strong collections but received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics, with many praising Vijay’s screen presence while criticising the film’s storyline and execution.
According to early box office estimates by Sacnilk, Jana Nayagan earned ₹42.70 crore on its opening day, giving Vijay’s farewell film a solid start. However, collections fell significantly on the first Friday, with the film earning ₹21.51 crore, marking a nearly 50% decline from its opening day.
Despite the slowdown, the film bounced back on its first Saturday. It collected around ₹28.50 crore, registering a jump of nearly 35% over Friday’s earnings. With this improvement, the film’s India net collection has reached approximately ₹92.35 crore, while its India gross collection stands at ₹108.93 crore after three days.
The strong Saturday performance has brought the film closer to the ₹100 crore net milestone in India, which it is expected to cross soon if it continues to attract audiences over the weekend.
Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan is considered a special project as it is being promoted as Vijay’s final film before he fully shifts his focus to politics. The film features Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, and Bobby Deol in key roles, with Bobby playing the primary antagonist.
The story follows Thalapathy Vetri Kondan, played by Vijay, who takes on the responsibility of raising a young woman, Viji, to become strong and independent before a dangerous enemy from his past returns to challenge him.
Ahead of its release, the film faced several delays. Originally scheduled to hit theatres earlier in the year, its release was postponed following issues related to certification. The delay only increased anticipation among Vijay’s fans, who have been eagerly waiting to watch what is being described as the actor’s final cinematic outing.
Soon after the film’s release, actor Anandhi Ajay shared an emotional video revealing that all of her scenes had been removed from the final cut. She said she was heartbroken because she had waited nearly one and a half years for the film’s release and was especially excited about sharing screen space with Vijay. Although disappointed, she accepted the decision and wished the film well.
While Jana Nayagan has received a mixed response from critics, the film continues to benefit from Vijay’s massive fan following. The encouraging rise in collections on Saturday suggests that audience interest remains strong despite the reviews.
With Sunday expected to bring another boost in footfalls, all eyes are now on whether Jana Nayagan can comfortably cross the ₹100 crore India net mark and continue its box office momentum in the days ahead.
