Rishab Shetty slams ‘Jana Nayagan’ leak as unacceptable

Mumbai, April 11: Actor-filmmaker Rishab Shetty on Saturday is standing in solidarity with the Vijay-starrer “Jana Nayagan” entire team and called the leak a serious and unacceptable act.

A five-minute clip, reportedly from actor Vijay's eagerly awaited last film 'Jana Nayagan' leaked and started doing the rounds on social media. The clip contained Vijay's introductory scene and a portion of a song.

Rishab took to X, formerly called Twitter, and showcased his support to the team.

“Cinema is built on passion, dreams, and love. Countless people work tirelessly to bring entertainment to audiences. When someone tries to tamper with that effort, even in the smallest way, it deeply affects everyone involved,” Rishab wrote.

He added that the “unfortunate leak” of Jana Nayagan is a “serious and unacceptable act.”

Rishab continued: “As audience please do respect the efforts and stop spreading the leaked footages. Do not kill the strength to give you many more cinemas tomorrow. 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' boasts a powerful ensemble cast featuring Bobby Deol, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, Prakash Raj, and Gautham Vasudev Menon.

Stars, including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Suriya and Chiranjeevi, and film industry professionals cutting across film industries have condemned the leaking 'Jana Nayagan', featuring actors Vijay and Pooja Hegde in the lead.

Rishab was last seen in Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1. It is an epic mythological action drama.

It stars Rishab Shetty in a four pivotal roles as Berme, Mayakara, Annappa and Kaadubettu Shiva.

The film also stars Jayaram, Rukmini Vasanth, and Gulshan Devaiah. A prequel to the 2022 film Kantara, the story 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.

--IANS