Thalapathy Vijay on Tuesday came out with a video statement on the Karur stampede. On social media, he has been censured for not tendering an apology. - "Hints at sabotage, no apology... Vijay is challenging rivals instead of owning up," an analysis article by The Wire stated. "Vijay's team knew of the risks over a year ago; preventable disaster," India Today commented.
Thousands of netizens today lashed out at the actor-politician after the video was out. "It came 70 hours late. It included allegations but didn't show anything that would make us believe that Vijay is a sensitive politician," a Twitter user wrote. It is difficult to say how many of these social media posts targeting Vijay are organic and how many of them are politically motivated, floated through DMK IT cells.
Amidst all this, it would be pertinent to wonder what will be the fate of Jana Nayagan when it hits the cinemas on 9 January 2026. The film has been made on a budget of nearly Rs 350 Cr, with Vijay's remuneration alone clocking Rs 250 Cr. Touted to be Vijay's last movie, its opening-day collections will tell us how much of goodwill Vijay may have lost (if at all) due to the mishandling of the post-stampede optics. Jana Nayagan, directed by H Vinoth, will probably feature a scene or dialogue on the stampede politics. Vijay might question the DMK government through the movie in an attempt to salvage his image.
