4 min readHyderabadJul 23, 2026 04:09 PM IST
Trisha Krishnan watched the first day first show of Jana Nayagan at a Chennai theatre on Thursday, joining regular audiences for what is the final screen appearance of Vijay, who is now the sitting Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Her presence at the screening, 21 years after the two first starred together in Ghilli, was one of several moments from the day as Tamil actors, directors and producers marked the end of Vijay’s 30-year acting career with public tributes and theatre visits.
The moment was not lost on anyone who has followed Tamil cinema over the last two decades. Trisha and Vijay go back to 2004, when Ghilli became one of the biggest hits of the year and turned their on-screen pairing into one of the most popular in the industry’s history. They reunited for Thirupaachi, Aathi and Kuruvi over the following years. Outside cinema, Trisha has been a visible presence in Vijay’s life in recent months, sitting in the front row at his swearing-in as Chief Minister and attending public events alongside him. That she chose to be in the audience for his last film, watching it the way any fan would, carried its own weight.
#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Actor Trisha Krishnan leaves from Rohini Theatre in Koyambedu after watching Actor and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s movie ‘Jana Nayagan’ pic.twitter.com/pUaoQmZagh
— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2026
Meanwhile, Trisha’s mother, Uma Krishnan, shared her reaction after watching the film. “We had a good time. We really enjoyed the movie. I feel bad that this is his last film. We are going to miss him,”
Across social media, actors, directors and producers posted tributes to Vijay as the film opened in theatres worldwide. The tone was less about the film and more about the man. After 30 years and over 60 films, the fact that this was genuinely the last time audiences would see Vijay on a cinema screen turned July 23 into something closer to a farewell ceremony than a regular release day.
Producer Dhananjayan, who had been vocal during the leak controversy and had urged fans to support the theatrical release, tweeted about the significance of the day for Tamil cinema. Archana Kalpathi, producer, tweeted, “Years of First Look, First Poster, First song, Song by you in the Album, Audio Launch, Kutty stories ( That I still listen to ), Trailer , twitter fan fights about every record to that final FDFS moment. I will always cherish every single film through my childhood and Adulthood. Thank you for entertaining us, bringing us Joy, inspiring us and now Leading us. Time to celebrate our Thalapathy, our Honorable CM, our Jananayagan today. We will all make this count”
Also Read: Jana Nayagan movie review: Vijay’s last film unravels under pressure of being Vijay’s last film
Actor Ravi Mohan tweeted, “Anna you became the first order of a true ‘Jananayagan’ way before our votes counted, this movie is only the biggest celebration for your authenticity and demeanor as our favorite actor. So our dearest Hon’ble Chief Minister Vijay, Anna, may this movie soar and live through our hearts.”
Jana Nayagan, directed by H. Vinoth and produced by KVN Productions, stars Vijay alongside Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain and Priyamani. The film is now running in theatres worldwide.
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