Actor Sivakarthikeyan has said that Tamil superstar Vijay personally encouraged him to proceed with the Pongal 2026 release of Parasakthi, despite the film clashing with Vijay’s much-anticipated Jana Nayagan, which is being billed as the actor’s final film before entering politics.

Sudha Kongara’s Parasakthi, starring Sivakarthikeyan, will release in theatres on 10 January, a day after H Vinoth’s Jana Nayagan, slated for 9 January.

Addressing the controversy at the pre-release event of Parasakthi, Sivakarthikeyan said the clash was never part of the original plan. He explained that Parasakthi was initially scheduled for a Diwali 2025 release but was postponed specifically to avoid releasing alongside Jana Nayagan, which at the time was also expected to arrive during Diwali.

However, after Parasakthi’s producer hinted at a Pongal release, Jana Nayagan’s team also moved to the same festival window. “I was shocked,” Sivakarthikeyan said.

He recalled reaching out to his producer to explore the possibility of shifting dates again. “I called our producer and asked if we could change our date to avoid the clash. However, all the investors had already been informed of our Pongal release. Also, if pushed to summer 2026, it would be difficult due to the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections,” he said.

Sivakarthikeyan added that he then contacted Vijay’s manager to discuss the situation. When asked why releasing two major films during Pongal should be an issue, the actor said he responded, “You might not have a problem, but I will. Jana Nayagan is promoted as Vijay sir’s last film. Can you ask sir about it once?”

According to Sivakarthikeyan, the manager later called back after speaking to Vijay. “He told me that Vijay sir believes that since it’s Pongal, both films have enough space to release and will not affect each other at the box office. Sir also conveyed his best wishes for Parasakthi,” he said.

At the event, Sivakarthikeyan also recalled his cameo appearance in Vijay’s previous film, Venkat Prabhu’s The GOAT. “This is the relationship between us. So, whatever happens, you don’t worry about that,” he added.

Jana Nayagan stars Mamitha Baiju, Pooja Hegde and Bobby Deol in key roles. Parasakthi, which also features Sreeleela and Ravi Mohan, is set against the political backdrop of 1960s Madras.