An air of uncertainty hangs over the release of Jana Nayagan, with advance ticket bookings yet to open in Tamil Nadu and many other South Indian states. The much-anticipated political action thriller of superstar 'Thalapathy' Vijay — his last film before the actor fully commits to his political career — is slated to open in theatres on January 9, but film buffs have no clarity on the real reason behind the delay.
Some reports suggested the main issue is that the film hasn't yet received a clearance certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which has triggered anxiety among theatre exhibitors and distributors, and that theatres in Tamil Nadu are reportedly planning to open bookings only after the film certification process has been completed, so as to avoid chaotic bookings and cancellations. However, the real issue is something else, according to a source who spoke to THE WEEK.
According to Tiruppur Subramaniam, the President of the Tamil Nadu theatre owners association, the makers of Jana Nayagan are demanding 80 per cent of the theatre collection. For Vijay’s GOAT, the share was 75:25, which led to a loss for the theatre owners, suggesting that a 50:50 or 60:40 share is more practical.
"If the producers take 75 per cent out of the Rs. 145 per ticket, we get only Rs. 37 for one ticket. This is not feasible. The negotiations are going on,” Subramaniam added.
Subramaniam also said that in Kerala, the producers have agreed to a 60 per cent share, while the demand is high in Tamil Nadu. “How can we give a 75 per cent share? We will not get any profit for running a top star’s movie,” he says.
While it is said that there is political pressure for Jana Nayagan to clear the hiccups in the theatrical release, the theatre owners say that the actual issue is deciding on the number of screens with the share demanded by the producer. The theatre owners also say that if this is not resolved immediately, they will give more screens to Parasakthi. The makers of Parasakthi have agreed to 65:35 as per the theatre owners. However, the Pongal festival and the holiday season in Tamil Nadu are likely to benefit both Jana Nayagan and Parasakthi.
Jana Nayagan has already crossed ₹25 crore in pre-sales globally for the opening day alone. Generally, big films open their advance bookings at least seven days before the release date, as this gives enough time for momentum and ticket sales to build. THE WEEK had earlier reported that Jana Nayagan and Sivakarthikeyan's Parasakthi would be released within a day of each other (January 9 and January 10), as Pongal releases.
(With inputs from Lakshmi Subramanian)
