Pooja Hegde reacts to 'Jana Nayagan' leak, says "It takes away the respect we deserve"

Jana Nayagan actress Pooja Hegde has expressed deep concern over the film’s online leak. On April 9 evening it came to notice that some footage of the film had been leaked, and later it was discovered that the complete film had been leaked online.

Taking to social media, Pooja Hegde expressed being disheartened over the film’s leak, saying that it is tough to see this incident occur as it takes away the respect that every artist and technician on the film deserves. The actress even appealed to the audience to wait for the film’s theatrical release and celebrate Thalapathy Vijay’s last film the right way.

“To my lovely audience. A film is the result of countless hours, creative risks, personal sacrifices, and a team that showed up every single day hoping to give you the best experience possible. Seeing our film leaked online is disheartening, not just for me, but for every single person who worked on it,” she shared.

“To see it being leaked and shared illegally is tough - not because of numbers, but because it takes away the respect that every artist and technician on the film deserves...plus don't we all deserve to gather together to celebrate and watch Vijay sir's last film, one last time, on the big screen in the right way! So let's watch it the right way. Let's wait. It will be out in due time. Let's not encourage piracy. That's how cinema and art will survive,” she added.

Pooja Hegde’s post comes after several celebrities expressed concern over Jana Nayangan’s leak. From Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Suriya, Karthi, Sivakarthikeyan, and others, there has been deep concern and outrage, and even demands for strict action against the culprits. Meanwhile, Jana Nayagan producers have also issued a strong statement, warning of legal consequences.

"It has come to our notice that certain scenes and clips from the said film, and in some cases most of the film, have been illegally accessed, copied and circulated by unidentified persons, posing a serious threat of digital piracy," they said and added that "strict civil and criminal proceedings will be pursued against every offender without exception."

Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan stars Thalapathy Vijay, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, Bobby Deol and Priyamani in key roles. Backed by KVN Productions, the movie was planned for Pongal 2026 release.