Pongal spice: 2 Tamil films turn bigger than entertainers, assume political overtones ahead of polls

Chennai, Jan 6 (PTI) As the political temperature in poll-bound Tamil Nadu heats up, an 'ideology war' is brewing in the box office, with the political stakeholders playing a role in the clash of the movies as well.

During the mid-January Pongal harvest festival, two Tamil films, "Jana Nayagan" and "Parasakthi", each seen as speaking its respective ideology, are all set to assume centre stage.

Actor Vijay's 69th film Jana Nayagan is also said to be his last before he makes the full-fledged entry into politics through his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party. It is set for a January 9 release.

Clashing with him is 'Parasakthi,' the namesake of the 1952 blockbuster starring Thespian Sivaji Ganesan in his maiden role. It apparently speaks an issue close to the ruling DMK's heart-- the language struggle.

On the political front TVK and DMK are going all guns against each other, with the state elections only a few months away from now.

Incidentally, Sivaji-starrer "Parasakthi" also catapulted the late DMK president M Karunanidhi to great heights for his fiery dialogues questioning the then societal norms and social evils.

The Sivakarthikeyan-starrer Parasakthi's release this year has been advanced by four days from its original date of January 14. The film is distributed by Red Giant Movies owned by Udhayanidhi, Deputy Chief Minister and son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.

On the political turf, the race for power in the 2026 Assembly election is between the ruling DMK dispensation and the AIADMK combine, though the TVK is actively present, making it a triangular contest.

Sivakarthikeyan, who plays the lead role in Parasakthi, has been spotted on the DMK stages on many occasions.

The film's producer Aakash Baskaran told reporters here recently that Parasakthi has been moved to January 10 due to "some personal suggestions from theatre owners and distributors," speaking off speculations that it was a "Vijay vs DMK" face-off.

"We took the call considering the equal screen split factor suggestions from senior distributors and theatre owners," Baskaran said.

The film is reportedly based on a real-life character named Chezhiyan who became a hero for fighting against the imposition of Hindi- a subject close to DMK's heart - but the director Sudha Kongara has clarified that the movie is not a biopic.

"No one has addressed this post-Independence movement before. We are presenting it for the first time," producer Baskaran said.

Though the film makers are attempting to depict Parasakthi as a non-political movie based on the very political movement - the 1965 student agitation against Hindi imposition - its political positioning is too clear to be ignored.

Jana Nayagan's plot, however, revolves seemingly around the struggles of an ordinary young man who takes on the powerful. He is reluctantly forced to enter into politics. This is also one of the reasons for Vijay's entry into politics, to allegedly cleanse it of corruption.

Jana Nayagan directed by H Vinoth and produced by KVN Productions stars Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain and Priyamani. Anirudh Ravichander has composed the music while the cinematography has been handled by Sathyan Sooryan.

Parasakthi is directed by Sudha Kongara, the filmmaker behind the critically acclaimed "Soorarai Pottru". Sivakarthikeyan in the lead role as a railway loco pilot is drawn into the student-led movement against Hindi imposition and he even confronts social inequality in his journey.

Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa Murali, Sreeleela, Rana Daggubati, Basil Joseph, and Guru Somasundaram are part of the cast in the film in which G V Prakash Kumar has composed the music.

A DMK leader said Parasakthi fictionalised the anti-Hindi agitation of 1960. "But considering the film as a political war between DMK and TVK is unacceptable. The DMK is strong on the ground and would continue its 2.O regime after the election this year," he said.

A BJP senior leader argued that the films would hardly impact the electoral prospects of the parties.

"These may seem as an emotional narrative but will not connect with the masses during the election," he said and claimed that it was a hype generated by the media.

"The films will hardly make political impact," he added.

And as the slugfest continues from the reel to the real, much is yet to unfold in the 2026 Assembly election. PTI JSP SA