Trisha arrived at a Chennai theatre along with a group of friends to watch the film on its opening day. As she exited after the screening, hundreds of fans gathered outside the venue, leading to a brief security challenge as police personnel escorted the actress through the crowd to her vehicle.

Despite repeated questions from reporters waiting outside the theatre, Trisha chose not to comment on the film or Vijay’s farewell from cinema. She smiled briefly before leaving the venue without interacting with the media.

Her mother, Uma Krishnan, however, shared an emotional reaction while speaking to reporters. Reflecting on Vijay’s decision to step away from films, she said it felt disappointing that audiences would no longer get to watch him on the big screen and admitted that fans would miss him as an actor.

The emotional atmosphere surrounding Jana Nayagan has been driven not only by the film itself but also by the significance it carries in Vijay’s career. The actor had earlier announced that he would retire from acting to focus entirely on politics after completing the project, making the release a landmark moment for his fans.

Shortly after the screening, Trisha posted a photograph with her friends on social media, joking that they had "made it out alive" after experiencing the frenzy surrounding the film's release. She also described the experience as witnessing the excitement of Jana Nayagan one final time, a post that quickly attracted widespread attention online.

According to early trade estimates, Jana Nayagan has made a strong start at the domestic box office. The film reportedly collected around ₹42.70 crore net across India on its opening day, reflecting the enormous anticipation surrounding Vijay’s final appearance as a lead actor.

The release had originally been planned several months earlier but was delayed due to certification-related issues before finally arriving in theatres this week.

Across Tamil Nadu and several overseas markets, fans celebrated the release with special screenings, music, dance performances and large cut-outs of Vijay outside cinema halls. Videos circulating on social media showed enthusiastic supporters gathering from early morning to mark the occasion, while some fans reportedly travelled from abroad specifically to watch the actor’s farewell film in India.

For Vijay, Jana Nayagan represents the conclusion of an acting career spanning more than three decades. Over the years, he established himself as one of Tamil cinema’s biggest commercial stars through a long list of blockbuster films and a massive fan following that extended well beyond South India.

With his full-time entry into politics now expected, the film is widely being viewed as both a farewell to his cinematic journey and the beginning of a new chapter in public life.

Whether measured through the emotional reactions of audiences, the packed theatres or the strong opening-day collections, Jana Nayagan has already emerged as one of the most significant releases of the year, closing the curtain on Thalapathy Vijay’s celebrated film career while leaving fans with memories they are unlikely to forget.