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Is Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan' a remake of 'Bhagavanth Kesari'? 
21 Jul 2026

Director H Vinoth's upcoming film, Jana Nayagan, starring Tamil superstar Vijay, is releasing on Thursday.

The film has been touted as a remake of Anil Ravipudi's Telugu blockbuster Bhagavanth Kesari.

In an interview with Galatta Plus, Vinoth revealed that only half of the original film remains in his version. The rest has been altered to suit Vijay's screen persona and Tamil audience sensibilities.

This is how 'Jana Nayagan' came to be
Remake decision

Vinoth revealed that it was Vijay's manager Jagadish who first suggested the remake.

He admitted to having second thoughts, having previously remade Pink as Nerkonda Paarvai with Ajith Kumar.

Despite his reservations, he eventually agreed to the project, seeing it as his last chance to collaborate with Vijay before the actor's full-time political career.

"I had to convert it into a story that fits the Vijay sir universe," Vinoth explained.

Vinoth was scared about adapting 'Bhagavanth Kesari'
Adaptation challenges

Vinoth admitted he was "genuinely scared" about adapting Bhagavanth Kesari. He cited a fundamental difference between the two stars, Nandamuri Balakrishna and Vijay, as a major challenge.

"Balayya sir's sensibilities and his power are entirely different...he exists in the 'Balayya Universe' where anything can happen because he is treated like a god with the 'Jai Balayya' mantra."

"Vijay sir can also do anything, but he has certain defined limits within his onscreen universe."

How much of 'Bhagavanth Kesari' remains in 'Jana Nayagan'
Film structure

Vinoth clarified how much of the original film remains in Jana Nayagan.

"Jana Nayagan is 50% of Bhagavanth Kesari. To be precise, the first half has 60% of the film, the second half has 20%," he said.

This means while the first half closely follows the structure of Bhagavanth Kesari, the second half is largely Vinoth's own creation, focused on political conflict and themes of democracy versus destruction.

Vijay was heavily involved in decision to remake 'Bhagavanth Kesari'
Star involvement

Vinoth revealed that Vijay was heavily involved in the decision to remake Bhagavanth Kesari.

When Vinoth questioned the need for a remake, Vijay explained scene by scene why he liked the original film.

"One thing I admire about Vijay sir is that he's deeply committed to women's empowerment. I saw the same conviction in Ajith sir (Kumar) when we worked on the Pink remake," Vinoth said.

Jana Nayagan also stars Pooja Hegde and Bobby Deol, among others.