On January 9, 2026, as the clock ticks down, there's a palpable excitement surrounding Thalapathy Vijay's final film, 'Jana Nayagan.' But behind all the hype, questions arise about the film's origins as we watch it. Many people are asking: Is it a fresh script or a star-studded remake of the 2023 Telugu hit 'Bhagavanth Kesari'? It's unclear.
The similarities since the trailer was released on January 3 have become a major topic on social media, and now the original Telugu film's viewership on OTT platforms is soaring.
Original: 'Bhagavanth Kesari'
The original was released in late 2023 featuring Nandamuri Balakrishna in the lead. Though it received only a 5.8 rating, it was widely acclaimed and critics gave it a big thumbs up for its social message. Cast: Kajal Aggarwal, Sreeleela (Pushpa 2 star), and Arjun Rampal — villains.
Box Office:
The movie earned around ₹84.78 crore in India from a budget of ₹65 crore and made a worldwide gross of ₹114.50 crore. National Award: Best Telugu film award winner at the 71st National Film Awards, indicating popular appeal and audience reception.
'Jana Nayagan' vs. 'Bhagavanth Kesari': A Remake Or Adaptation?
While director H. Vinoth refrained from calling it a scene-for-scene reconfiguration, Jana Nayagan's trailer shows unmistakable parallels. Both films feature a seasoned lead as a guardian to a young girl (in the Tamil version, Mamitha Baiju plays Sreeleela’s role, a woman of action), encouraging her to rid herself of all fear and fight in the army.
Principal Comparisons:
- The Main character: Vijay takes on the role of a "guardian protector," a role Balakrishna initiated in the original.
- The Message: Both films focus on women's empowerment to "be a lion" as they face adversity.
- The Villain: While Arjun Rampal played the suave villain in Telugu, Bobby Deol plays a more antagonistic figure in Jana Nayagan.
Why the Sudden OTT Trend?
Bhagavanth Kesari has suddenly been trending again on JioHotstar and Prime Video, interestingly. Fans are also checking out the original to see what’s different and speculate on how H. Vinoth adapted the story for the Tamil audience. It appears that the main theme remains the same, but Jana Nayagan has stronger political resonance and extra dialogue-filled scenes that correspond with Vijay’s actual shift into politics. With a soundtrack by Anirudh Ravichander and a runtime of more than 3 hours, Jana Nayagan is expected to be a much bigger extravaganza than the original.
