What was meant to be a high-octane celebration of Thalapathy Vijay’s cinematic swansong has turned into a PR nightmare for the makers of Jana Nayagan. On Sunday, January 4, 2026, the film’s trailer became the center of a massive online controversy after viewers discovered a Google Gemini AI watermark embedded in a key action sequence.
The “blink-and-miss-it” error occurred at the 23-second mark, during a shot of a man wielding a machine gun. A clearly visible Gemini AI logo in the bottom-right corner suggested that the visual was generated using artificial intelligence and that the watermark was accidentally left in during the final edit.
The “AI Leak” Timeline
- Saturday Night (Jan 3): The trailer is released to record-breaking views. Within hours, screenshots of the Gemini watermark go viral on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter).
- Sunday Early Morning: Trolls mock the production value, with one user noting, “They didn’t even use the premium version [to remove the logo].”
- Sunday 10:00 AM: KVN Productions reportedly pulls the original file and re-uploads a corrected version of the trailer with the watermark cropped out or digitally removed.
Production Oversight or Evolving Tech?
The controversy has reignited the debate over the use of AI in mainstream Indian cinema, particularly for a film with a reported budget of ₹400 crore.
- The Critics: Many argue that for a film of this scale, relying on AI for a standard action shot—rather than using practical effects or high-end CGI—is an “insult to the art form.”
- The Supporters: A section of Vijay’s fanbase (the Vetri Kondan loyalists) defended the move, stating that AI is a tool for efficiency and that the error was a simple human oversight by the post-production team at Albuquerque Records or the VFX house.
About ‘Jana Nayagan’
Directed by H. Vinoth, the film is a political action thriller that serves as Vijay’s final project before he transitions into full-time leadership with his party, Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK).
| Detail | Information |
| Release Date | January 9, 2026 (Pongal Special) |
| Director | H. Vinoth (Valimai, Thunivu) |
| Cast | Vijay, Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon |
| Music | Anirudh Ravichander |
| Source Material | Loosely adapted from the Telugu hit Bhagavanth Kesari |
The Political Context
As Vijay’s final film, every frame of Jana Nayagan is being scrutinized for its political messaging. The trailer features heavy meta-references to his retirement, with lines like “I am an ordinary man, but my actions are super,” resonating deeply with his followers.4 However, the AI controversy has given his political opponents ammunition to question the “authenticity” and “perfection” associated with his brand.