Jana Nayagan: CM Vijay deserved a better farewell from cinema than this snoozefest full of mumbo-jumbo
The past year has handed Jana Nayagan (Jan Neta in Hindi) the kind of publicity filmmakers must dream of. Its leading man, Thalapathy Vijay, darling of the masses announced his political ambitions, contesting to be the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. This film was sold as his swansong before he enters full-time politics. Every delay and controversy only inflated the hype, much like telling a child they can’t have their favourite piece of chocolate. The irony is, as I walked out of the theatre, one thought refused to leave me: all that noise, for this? A still from Jana Nayagan Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan has no sense of direction. The story lurches from one thread to another, desperately trying to make something, anything, stick. In a nutshell, Thalapathy Vetri Kondan (Vijay) lives with Viji (Mamitha Baiju), whom he has raised as his own daughter after she was orphaned. Scarred by past trauma, she suffers from a debilitating fear that Vetri is determined to help her overcome so she can join the Indian Army. …









