Watch | 'Rookie Mistake': 'Thalapathy Vijay’s 'Jana Nayagan' trailer has a still with Gemini logo

The trailer of Thalapathy Vijay’s farewell film, Jana Nayagan, was released on January 3 and received a thunderous response from the audience across the globe. The trailer went on to garner over 37 million views in less than 48 hours. The 2-minute, 52-seconds trailer showcases Vijay in a mass-oriented space, navigating power, public responsibility and confrontation.

While the Jana Nayagan trailer set social media ablaze with Thalapathy fans hailing his undeniable charisma and fiery energy, the reaction hasn't been universally positive.

A section of the audience felt let down by the editing of Vijay’s last film. Eagle-eyed netizens found the logo of Google Gemini, referring to the fact that certain portions have been created with the help of an AI tool. The error is described by fans as a “rookie mistake”, with many expressing disappointment over the treatment given to the project that is being made on a massive budget of Rs 400 crore.

A montage at the 0:23 mark shows the actor loading a shotgun, where the distinctive four-pointed star logo of Google’s Gemini AI was visible in the bottom right corner, which has somewhat dampened the excitement.

"Using Google Gemini AI shots in the trailer without even removing the logo is shocking," one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Using AI for such simple shots is alarming and raises doubts on filmmaking standards." Another one shared a screenshot and wrote, “They didn't even hesitate to remove the Gemini logo.”

The backlash has been intense, with trolls calling the alleged use of AI in films an “insult” to the art of cinema. The makers quickly addressed the issue, and the logo has since been removed from the official trailer.

Directed by H Vinoth, the movie is backed by Venkat K Narayana under KVN Productions. Jana Nayagan stars Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Pooja Hegde and others in key roles and is loosely adapted from Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Bhagavanth Kesari (2023). The film is slated for a theatrical release on January 9 and is expected to face stiff competition at the box office with his 'brother' Sivakarthikeyan's Parasakthi.