KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — The Indian Tamil-language political action thriller Jana Nayagan, which is set to star acclaimed actor “Thalapathy” Vijay, continues to draw massive hype following the release of its trailer last night, which has already clocked 26.4 million views on YouTube.
However, adding fuel to the excitement is the appearance of Malaysian actor Muhammad Irfan Mohamed Zaini, better known as Irfan Zaini, who appears twice in the trailer — first at the 1:09 mark, seemingly surrendering or being detained, and again at the 1:30 mark, charging forward with a gun.
This film marks Irfan’s third collaboration with Vijay, a partnership that began in 2008 when a then 12 year old Irfan appeared in Kuruvi, playing heroine Radhadevi’s (Trisha Krishnan) younger brother.
Their most recent collaboration was the 2024 blockbuster The Greatest of All Time (GOAT), directed by Venkat Prabhu, where the local star portrayed Johnson, an Indian Embassy officer.
The buzz was already high after the June 2025 announcement that Irfan would reunite with Vijay in Jana Nayagan, and now, with the trailer out, his brief but impactful presence has sent social media into overdrive.
The Malaysian star has been making waves in the Malaysian film scene, from his breakout role as Malik in the 2025 hit Blood Brothers: Bara Naga to his praised performance as Megat Borhan in the Astro original series Honey Trap.
He also recently starred in the local Tamil film Macai as Jack, one of the leads, and is set to headline the upcoming Astro Shaw film Terbang, set to be released this year, playing Ajeet, a character inspired by local rally legend Karamjit Singh.
In addition, he won Best Villain at the third MICA Awards, an award show celebrating Malaysian Indian creative talent, for his role in the 2023 Malaysian Tamil-language musical drama Naam Katra Isai (When Music Cries).
Jana Nayagan is being widely tipped as one of the most anticipated Tamil films of the year, as it is set to be Vijay’s final film before his entry into politics and the hype has been just as intense in Malaysia.
That excitement was evident when thousands packed Bukit Jalil National Stadium for the film’s audio launch on December 27, which also saw Vijay make a special appearance.
In previous interviews, Irfan has spoken about being a die-hard fan of Vijay, often crediting the star as the spark that ignited his passion for acting.
Jana Nayagan hits cinemas nationwide on January 9, marking yet another dream-come-true moment for the Malaysian star as he gets to be in his idol’s final film project.
