Anil Ravipudi responds to claims of Vijay's Jana Nayagan being remake of Balakrishna's Bhagavanth Kesari

It has long been rumoured that Vijay's final film Jana Nayagan is a remake of the Telugu film Bhagavanth Kesari, starring Balakrishna.

Ever since H Vinoth’s Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan went on floors, there have been rumours that it is a remake of Anil Ravipudi’s 2023 hit Bhagavanth Kesari, starring Balakrishna. While the filmmakers of the Tamil film have remained mum about it, Ravipudi was questioned about the same as he was promoting his upcoming film.

Mamitha Baiju, Vijay, Balakrishna and Sreeleela in stills from Jana Nayagan and Bhagavanth Kesari.

Anil Ravipudi on if Jana Nayagan is a remake of Bhagavanth Kesari

Ravipudi was asked if Jana Nayagan was his film’s remake, and he replied that the filmmakers have chosen to keep that under wraps. He added, “The director (H Vinoth) has made it clear that this is a Thalapathy Vijay cinema. So let us treat it like that alone till the film is released. This is Thalapathy Vijay’s cinema.”

He even revealed that he met Vijay when he was shooting for Vamshi Paidipally’s Varisu (2023), adding, “He is a superb gentleman. This is his final film as he leaves cinema for politics. So, let us wait for the film to release to know if I have a role to play in it or not. After the release, everyone will know how they have treated it, and it would be correct to talk only then. Let us not call it a remake or anything else till then, it’s a Thalapathy Vijay film.”

Talking about the film, Vinoth recently said, “This is a Thalapathy padam (film). Some people might think this is a remake and wonder why they should come and watch it. A few might even get angry. To them, I’ll say just one thing: Please wait until one show ends. You’ll get your answer.” He also added, “People who are coming to watch the film don’t need to worry about whether it’s a remake, whether a few scenes are inspired, or whether it’s just one scene.”

What Anil Ravipudi said in the past

This is not the first time that Ravipudi has confused many with his vague answers about Jana Nayagan. In January of this year, at an event for Sankranthiki Vasthunam, VTV Ganesh revealed that Vijay had watched Bhagavanth Kesari five times and wanted Anil to direct the remake. He also claimed that Anil had turned down the offer. However, the director clarified at the time that he did not say that.

Ganesh kept insisting that he was only repeating what he had been told. Anil, however, vaguely said, “They have not announced what film it is yet, so it is not right to talk about it yet. I had some discussions with Tamil superstar Vijay about his final film. There were some issues with time slots and processes.”

Bhagavanth Kesari starred Balakrishna, Sreeleela, Kajal Aggarwal and Arjun Rampal in lead roles. Jana Nayagan will star Vijay, Mamitha Baiju, Pooja Hegde and Bobby Deol in lead roles. It will be released on January 9, 2026, for Pongal.