Pooja Hegde gains little from Vijay’s final film Jana Nayakudu

Jana Nayakudu (Jana Nayagan in Tamil) hit theatres yesterday to largely negative reviews. The film failed to impress even Vijay’s fans, as it suffered from delayed release and a formulaic narrative that robbed the content of its freshness.
Although it marks Vijay’s final film before fully transitioning into his role as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the film couldn’t generate the expected euphoria. While it opened strongly in Tamil Nadu, the initial excitement faded by the end of the first day.
The film’s outcome is unlikely to benefit Pooja Hegde either. She plays journalist Kayal, a character who is shown to have romantic feelings for Vijay’s character. However, apart from appearing in the song “Thalapathy Kacheri,” the pair hardly share a proper romantic track. Her character also has very little presence for most of the second half.
As a result, “Jana Nayakudu” is unlikely to add much to Pooja Hegde’s career. Earlier, she had teamed up with Vijay in “Beast,” which also underperformed at the box office.
For Pooja Hegde, this marks another setback after the failure of “Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai” earlier this year.
She is now pinning her hopes on her upcoming Telugu film Sri Sri, co-starring Dulquer Salmaan.