India, July 23 -- The past year has handed Jana Nayagan (Jan Neta in Hindi) the kind of publicity filmmakers must dream of. Its leading man, Thalapathy Vijay, darling of the masses announced his political ambitions, contesting to be the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. This film was sold as his swansong before he enters full-time politics. Every delay and controversy only inflated the hype, much like telling a child they can't have their favourite piece of chocolate. The irony is, as I walked out of the theatre, one thought refused to leave me: all that noise, for this?

Directed by H. Vinoth, Jana Nayagan has no sense of direction. The story lurches from one thread to another, desperately trying to make something, anything, stick. In a nuts...