‘12 million watched unreleased movie’: No bail after Vijay starrer Jana Nayagan leaks
Jana Nayagan piracy case saw the Madras High Court deny bail to two accused as investigators probed the alleged leak of the unreleased Vijay film.
The Madras High Court Thursday refused to grant bail to two accused in the piracy case involving ‘Jana Nayagan’, the final film of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, after prosecutors said the unreleased movie had been watched online by as many as 12 million people before it was certified for public exhibition.
Justice C Kumarappan dismissed the bail petitions filed by S Rajini, the fourth accused, and Jayaprakash, the 11th accused, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the continuing nature of the investigation. The court was told that the film, starring Vijay in what has been billed as his last screen appearance before entering full-time politics, was stolen from an editing suite, assembled into a full-length version and uploaded online.
According to the prosecution, the prime accused, a freelance film editor and Rajini’s brother, allegedly removed film clips stored on a hard drive from an edit suite. He and two of his brothers were accused of combining the disjointed clips into a complete copy of the film before uploading it to Google Drive. From there, prosecutors said, the movie spread to piracy websites, including Tamil Rockers, allowing millions to watch the uncertified version before the links were blocked.
The leak marked a major setback for K V N Productions, the film’s producer, which had already been battling certification delays. The company had earlier filed a civil suit in the high court and obtained an interim injunction restraining internet service providers from allowing their platforms to be used for the unauthorised exhibition of the film.
The prosecution opposed bail, arguing that two accused remained absconding and that their arrest was necessary to trace financial transactions behind the alleged piracy network. It also said the release of Rajini, who was arrested in April, and Jayaprakash, arrested last month, could lead to tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses.
The court was further informed that only a preliminary charge sheet had been filed and that the police were yet to complete the investigation before submitting the final charge sheet.
The piracy case has unfolded alongside a prolonged delay in the film’s certification. Jana Nayagan was held up at the Central Board of Film Certification for months, reportedly after a private complaint interrupted the process. A senior official said the film had now been examined and a certificate was likely within days, renewing expectations of a theatrical release soon.
Directed by H Vinoth and featuring Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Prakash Raj, Priyamani and others, Jana Nayagan remains one of Tamil cinema’s most closely watched releases — not only as a film, but as the final act of Vijay’s career as a movie star.
The Madras High Court Thursday refused to grant bail to two accused in the piracy case involving ‘Jana Nayagan’, the final film of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, after prosecutors said the unreleased movie had been watched online by as many as 12 million people before it was certified for public exhibition.
Justice C Kumarappan dismissed the bail petitions filed by S Rajini, the fourth accused, and Jayaprakash, the 11th accused, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the continuing nature of the investigation. The court was told that the film, starring Vijay in what has been billed as his last screen appearance before entering full-time politics, was stolen from an editing suite, assembled into a full-length version and uploaded online.
According to the prosecution, the prime accused, a freelance film editor and Rajini’s brother, allegedly removed film clips stored on a hard drive from an edit suite. He and two of his brothers were accused of combining the disjointed clips into a complete copy of the film before uploading it to Google Drive. From there, prosecutors said, the movie spread to piracy websites, including Tamil Rockers, allowing millions to watch the uncertified version before the links were blocked.
The leak marked a major setback for K V N Productions, the film’s producer, which had already been battling certification delays. The company had earlier filed a civil suit in the high court and obtained an interim injunction restraining internet service providers from allowing their platforms to be used for the unauthorised exhibition of the film.
The prosecution opposed bail, arguing that two accused remained absconding and that their arrest was necessary to trace financial transactions behind the alleged piracy network. It also said the release of Rajini, who was arrested in April, and Jayaprakash, arrested last month, could lead to tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses.
The court was further informed that only a preliminary charge sheet had been filed and that the police were yet to complete the investigation before submitting the final charge sheet.
The piracy case has unfolded alongside a prolonged delay in the film’s certification. Jana Nayagan was held up at the Central Board of Film Certification for months, reportedly after a private complaint interrupted the process. A senior official said the film had now been examined and a certificate was likely within days, renewing expectations of a theatrical release soon.
Directed by H Vinoth and featuring Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Prakash Raj, Priyamani and others, Jana Nayagan remains one of Tamil cinema’s most closely watched releases — not only as a film, but as the final act of Vijay’s career as a movie star.
