Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 11 (ANI): Hours after reports claimed that Jana Nayagan was leaked online, actress Pooja Hegde joined several stars from the Telugu and Tamil film industries in speaking out against piracy.

Pooja, who plays the female lead in the film, shared her disappointment and urged fans to wait for the official release and watch the film in theatres.

Taking to Instagram Stories on Saturday, the actress spoke about the hard work, sacrifices, and effort that go into making a film. Calling the leak 'disheartening' for the entire team, she wrote, 'My lovely audience. A film is the result of countless hours, creative risks, personal sacrifices, and a team that showed up every single day hoping to give you the best experience possible. Seeing our film leaked online is disheartening, not just for me, but for every single person who worked on it.'

Hegde further added that piracy takes away the 'respect' every artist and technician deserves. She also appealed to audiences to celebrate Vijay's final film in the right way on the big screen.

'To see it being leaked and shared illegally is tough, not because of numbers, but because it takes away the respect that every artist and technician on the film deserves. Plus, don't we all deserve to gather together to celebrate and watch Vijay sir's last film, one last time, on the big screen in the right way? So let's watch it the right way. Let's wait. It will be out in due time. Let's not encourage piracy. That's how cinema and art will survive. Love, Art. Artists. Technicians.'

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Earlier, the makers of the film, KVN Productions, had also issued a statement asking people not to share or watch the leaked material.

The production house said that parts of the movie, and in some cases almost the entire film, had been illegally circulated on social media and other online platforms. Calling it a serious case of digital piracy, the team said strict action was being taken.

Jana Nayagan, which is said to be Vijay's final film before his full-time political journey, has already faced delays due to certification issues. The film was earlier expected to release during Pongal on January 9. (ANI)