Kollywood is bracing for a major box office clash as Sivakarthikeyan's Parasakthi has preponed its release to January 10, 2026, setting up a face-off with Vijay's highly anticipated Jana Nayagan, which is slated to release on January 9, 2026. This Pongal season is expected to be a battleground for these two major Tamil releases.
Initially, Parasakthi was scheduled to release on January 14, 2026, coinciding with the Pongal festival. However, the makers of the film, Dawn Pictures, announced the change in release date on Monday, December 22, 2025, citing strong confidence from exhibitors and distributors in the film's theatrical potential during the Pongal period. According to Dawn Pictures, the decision to advance the release was made after extensive discussions with exhibitors and distributors across global markets. The production house officially confirmed the decision in a statement, expressing their confidence in the film's theatrical prospects during the festive season. The announcement was accompanied by a short teaser featuring Ravi Mohan, Sivakarthikeyan, and Sreeleela.
Industry insiders suggest that the decision to release Parasakthi earlier was influenced by distributors and theatre owners to avoid complications related to screen allocation and revenue sharing during the crowded Pongal release window. Many believe the early release will ensure better theatre availability for Parasakthi and allow the film to build sustained buzz ahead of the festive weekend.
Parasakthi, directed by Sudha Kongara and produced by Aakash Baskaran under the banner of Dawn Pictures, is a political historical drama set in the 1960s. The film features Sivakarthikeyan, Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa, and Sreeleela in lead roles. The movie also stars Dev Ramnath, Prithvi Rajan, Guru Somasundaram, Basil Joseph, Papri Ghosh, and Rana Daggubati. GV Prakash Kumar is composing the music, Ravi K Chandran is handling the cinematography, and Sathish Suriya is in charge of editing.
Jana Nayagan, directed by H. Vinoth and produced by KVN Productions, is touted to be Vijay's final film before his rumored entry into politics. The film stars Vijay, Pooja Hegde, and Bobby Deol in the lead roles, along with Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain, and Priyamani. Anirudh Ravichander is composing the music, Sathyan Sooryan is handling the cinematography, and Pradeep E. Ragav is overseeing the editing. Jana Nayagan is an action thriller film.
The clash between Parasakthi and Jana Nayagan is expected to be a significant event in Kollywood, with both films generating considerable buzz. Jana Nayagan has already achieved a record-breaking start in UK ticket sales, surpassing the previous record set by Vijay's own film Leo. Parasakthi is being described as a potential career-best effort for Sivakarthikeyan, especially under Sudha Kongara's direction.
With Jana Nayagan being promoted as Vijay's last film, expectations are exceptionally high. This makes Parasakthi a crucial release that will test Sivakarthikeyan's box office standing. It remains to be seen how this clash will play out, but the Pongal 2026 box office is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory.
