On January 9, 2026, the countdown of the biggest 2026 movie gets into gear. The heart of millions, Thalapathy Vijay's final film, "Jana Nayagan," will premiere on the silver screen. Back home and, while fans are getting ready for their adored star’s farewell — and the stage for him to get his feet wet in full-time politics — that world is hanging over in question again in the Middle East. The film seems set to face a potential ban this year in Saudi Arabia, which is a key market for South Indian cinema.
What We Know about the Saudi Arabia Controversy. While advance bookings are breaking records in places like Bengaluru, stories of a hurdle to reaching Saudi Arabia have alarmed the industry. And, the huge Indian diaspora in the Gulf region (Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar) is a big part of the foreign box office of that film.
According to reports, the film’s anti-Pakistan narrative and some high-octane action scenes with the Pakistani military are the main thing that led to the ban. Saudi authorities have long dealt harshly with content that displays neighboring Islamic countries or the faith in an unflattering light. Like the recent Hindi blockbuster ‘Dhurandhar’, which was also restricted in the region, ‘Jana Nayagan’ has hit a wall at the censorship stage.
Current Status
The production team is said to be in discussions with the Saudi censor board. Some rumors suggest the team may agree to mute some dialogues, delete sensitive frames or change subtitles within the film to receive a wider release, as the GCC market is key to recovering the huge budget that the film occupies.
Is ‘Jana Nayagan’ the Remake of ‘Bhagavanth Kesari’?
Social media has been deluged with comparisons to the Telugu hit ‘Bhagavanth Kesari’ since the trailer was released on January 3. H. Vinoth the director has insisted this is a 100% Thalapathy film, insiders say it is a heavily “reworked adaptation” and not a scene-to-scene remake.
The film has:
- Thalapathy Vijay as forceful and ethical leader
- Mamitha Baiju as key supporting role in this as Vijay’s foster daughter, a role reminiscent of Sreeleela’s one.
- Pooja Hegde played as the lead character.
- Bobby Deol as the dangerous foe.
Its narratives have been infused with lots of political themes — a nod to Vijay’s real-life political entrance — to be faithful to. (Fanatic hotlines on governance, social justice and other subjects are in full swing — it is a perfect launchpad for his political career.)
Global Hysteria and Bookings Advancements
But it has never seen the craziness in India, along with global markets such as Malaysia, Singapore and the USA, outside of the boundaries of Saudi Arabia.
- Bengaluru: Most early morning shows (6:00 AM) are already sold-out.
- Collections: Trade analysts predict this film has already crossed ₹35 crore in advance reservations.
- The Farewell Factor: As Vijay’s 69th and final film, a fan base is throwing huge parties including milk abhishekams, and huge cutouts.
Directed by H. Vinoth and produced by KVN Productions, ‘Jana Nayagan’ is set to a booming background score from Anirudh Ravichander. The movie may or may not clear the Saudi hurdle, but it is already positioning it as one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time.
