12 November,2025 07:12 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Still from Thalapathy Kacheri
The first single from Vijay's farewell film Jana Nayagan dropped on Saturday, November 8. Titled Thalapathy Kacheri, the song has already garnered over 35 million views on YouTube. However, following a sudden spike in views, some netizens accused the makers of using bots to inflate the numbers. Amid the chatter, YouTube stepped in to clarify the situation.
A user on X shared a screenshot showing that the song received over 3 million views within an hour, sparking speculation about automated traffic. Responding to the claim, YouTube explained that the platform's system temporarily slows or freezes view counts while verifying if they come from real users. "We have a system in place to verify engagement metrics (likes, views, subs) if they're from legitimate sources. View counts can slow down or freeze as we confirm they're real (from humans, not computer programs)," the platform said.
Another fan suggested that the video might have been mistakenly flagged as a political campaign video, given Vijay's political debut with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). "YouTube flagged ThalapathyKacheri as a campaign video for Mr. Vijay and TVK. Hence, Google Ads policies froze the view count. After review, the views started reflecting again," the fan wrote. YouTube seemed to confirm this, adding, "To maintain a fair & positive experience across YouTube, we have systems that verify if views are valid & should be counted."
Soon after the release of the song on Saturday, fans of the TVK chief were seen celebrating across Madurai, dancing to the track and waving posters of Vijay. The song, choreographed by Sekhar, pays homage to the star's iconic moves from films like Ghilli, Thuppakki, Mersal, and Master.
With Jana Nayagan set to be Vijay's final film before he transitions fully into politics, expectations are sky-high. Backed by Venkat K Narayana under KVN Productions, the film is slated for a grand worldwide release on January 9, 2026, coinciding with the Pongal weekend. The film also stars Pooja Hegde and Mamitha Baiju in pivotal roles. The film will be clashing with Prabhas's The RajaSaab.
