Sivakarthikeyan speaks out about the Parasakthi vs. Jana Nayagan Pongal clash: "I Was Shocked"

Parasakthi vs. Jana Nayagan

• Vijay's Jana Nayagan and Sivakarthikeyan's Parasakthi release on Pongal 2026
• Both films set for back-to-back releases, sparking excitement and fan rivalry
• Sivakarthikeyan urges fans to celebrate both movies during the festival season

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As the Pongal festival release window gets closer, Tamil cinema's biggest box office battle in a long time is shaping up. Two big movies, Thalapathy Vijay's Jana Nayagan and Sivakarthikeyan's Parasakthi, will come out in theaters within a day of each other. Sivakarthikeyan talked about the unexpected scheduling conflict at a recent pre-release event, explaining how it happened and how he felt about it.

The highly anticipated Jana Nayagan, which is going to be Vijay's last movie before he becomes a full-time politician, will come out on January 9, 2026. Parasakthi will come out on January 10, 2026. The fact that these two big releases are so close together has caused a lot of excitement in the industry and among fans.

Sivakarthikeyan said he was really "shocked" when he found out that both movies would come out on the same Pongal weekend.

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Parasakthi was supposed to come out on Diwali 2025, but that changed when Jana Nayagan was also supposed to come out at the same time. To avoid direct competition, the Parasakthi team changed their plans to Pongal, but later Vijay's movie took the same holiday slot.

Sivakarthikeyan was worried about how this would affect his film's box office prospects, so he called his producer to see if they could find another date. However, he couldn't make any changes because investors had already been told about the Pongal release plan. Because the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections were happening around that time, a change to summer 2026 was also ruled out.

Sivakarthikeyan then called Vijay's manager, Jagadish, to see if anything could be done to avoid the clash, especially since Jana Nayagan was supposed to be Vijay's last movie. I said to him, "What is this, bro?" He said, "Parasakthi and Jana Nayagan are coming out together."

Sivakarthikeyan says that Vijay's manager later told him what Vijay thought: the Pongal festival is big enough for both movies to do well at the box office without hurting each other's runs.

Vijay also sent his best wishes to Parasakthi. A Call to Celebrate, Not Compete

Sivakarthikeyan chose to frame the situation in a positive way instead of making things worse. He told people to enjoy both releases as part of the Pongal season, telling fans to watch Jana Nayagan on January 9 and then Parasakthi on January 10. He even called the time a "Anna–Thambi (elder brother–younger brother) Pongal," which means that moviegoers should all get along. His comments also showed how friendly the two stars are with each other. For example, Sivakarthikeyan talked about his cameo in Vijay's earlier movie The GOAT as proof of their good working relationship.

The situation has led to more discussion among fans and in the film industry. Some people who watch the industry say that it's not unusual for several big films to compete for attention at major festivals. Pongal is a time when a lot of big-budget movies come out at the same time in Tamil Nadu.

There have been strong feelings and fan rivalry online, including a few cases of vandalism of posters. Sivakarthikeyan's calm response aims to ease the tension and focus on the good things. As Jana Nayagan and Parasakthi get ready for their theatrical debuts, audiences are invited to celebrate the diversity and energy of Tamil cinema during one of the year's most festive times.