Mumbai, April 11 – Actor and filmmaker Rishab Shetty expressed his solidarity with the entire team of "Jana Nayagan," starring Vijay, on Saturday, calling the leak a serious and unacceptable act.
A five-minute clip, reportedly from Vijay's highly anticipated last film, "Jana Nayagan," was leaked and began circulating on social media. The clip contained Vijay's introductory scene and a portion of a song.
Shetty posted on X (formerly Twitter), expressing his support for the team.
"Cinema is built on passion, dreams, and love. Countless people work tirelessly to bring entertainment to audiences. When someone tries to interfere with that effort, even in a small way, it deeply affects everyone involved," Shetty wrote.
He added that the "unfortunate leak" of "Jana Nayagan" is a "serious and unacceptable act."
Shetty continued: "As viewers, please respect the efforts and stop spreading the leaked footage. Do not jeopardize the future of cinema. I stand in solidarity with the entire team and @KvnProductions during this difficult time. Protect our cinema family. #killpiracy."
Directed by H. Vinoth, "Jana Nayagan" features a powerful ensemble cast including Bobby Deol, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, Prakash Raj, and Gautham Vasudev Menon.
Stars, including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Suriya and Chiranjeevi, and film industry professionals across different film industries have condemned the leaking of "Jana Nayagan," featuring actors Vijay and Pooja Hegde.
Shetty was last seen in Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1. It is an epic mythological action drama.
It stars Shetty in four pivotal roles as Berme, Mayakara, Annappa and Kaadubettu Shiva.
The film also stars Jayaram, Rukmini Vasanth, and Gulshan Devaiah. The prequel to the 2022 film Kantara, it delves deeper into the origins of the tradition and ancestral conflict introduced in the first film.
Set in pre-colonial coastal Karnataka, the prequel blends regional folklore and divinity into a narrative that explores man's relationship with nature. It went on to become a huge commercial success at the box office and is currently the second-highest-grossing Kannada film of all time, the second-highest-grossing Indian film of 2025 and also ranks among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.