In a bizarre twist to the already troubled saga of Vijay's Jana Nayagan, a man tasked with guarding EVM machines at Anna University's counting centre in Kotturpuram, Chennai, has been reprimanded and arrested after a social media post showed him watching the pirated version of the film on his laptop — right inside the CCTV security room.

The individual, identified as Yuvaraj, was responsible for monitoring the CCTVs to ensure the security of the EVM strong room ahead of the May 4 vote counting. Instead, he not only neglected his duty during working hours but also watched an illegally circulated version of the film — a double offence that caught the attention of the Kotturpuram police following the viral spread of his post.

The incident adds another chapter to Jana Nayagan's relentless piracy woes. The film leaked in its entirety on April 9 across multiple illegal platforms, triggering a wave of arrests by the cybercrime department. The film's editor Pradeep E Ragav was also recently suspended by SIFEA for his partial responsibility in the leak, which was allegedly carried out by a freelance editor working under him.

Meanwhile, Vijay — who made his political debut as TVK chief and CM candidate in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections — visited the Tiruchendur Murugan Temple on Monday, ahead of the May 4 counting day.

On the release front, if the censor board clears the film this week as expected, Jana Nayagan may target a May 8 theatrical release — though an official confirmation is yet to come.

— Directed by H Vinoth, the film stars Vijay, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, Bobby Deol, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain, and Priyamani.