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?A still from Jana NayaganDirected 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 nutshell, Thalapathy Vetri Kondan (Vijay) lives with Viji (Mamitha Baiju), whom he has raised as his own daughter after she was orphaned. Scarred by past trauma, she suffers from a debilitating fear that Vetri is determined to help her overcome so she can join the Indian Army. Running parallel is a looming national threat by Amrish Poojari (Bobby Deol). How Vetri gets drawn into this conflict forms the rest of the story.The screenplay is in absolute shambles. Vinoth and editor Pradeep E. Ragav seem unable to decide what kind of film they want to make, constantly switching gears in the hope that something will click. Just when the narrative begins to settle, it throws in an India-Pakistan conflict to raise the stakes, only for it to descend into mumbo jumbo. The first half is set in Vetri's present-day life before arriving at the most overused trope in mainstream cinema: the compulsory flashback.Bobby Deol's role feels like a rehash of the antagonist he recently played in the film Alpha. The character follows familiar beats, and his one-note performance does little to set it apart. Instead of adding menace, he ends up reinforcing a sense of deja vu.The second half is just Vijay making promises to be there for the people, essentially an election manifesto. The film often feels less interested in telling a story than in reinforcing an image.Also read: Jana Nayagan not CM Vijay's last film? Director H Vinoth hints ‘You could say this is CM Vijay sir’s first film'Then comes the climax, which perhaps best sums up the film's creative bankruptcy. Jana Nayagan veers into territory which reminds one of Rajinikanth's Enthiran, complete with killer robots. Rather than surprising, the twist is likely to leave viewers scratching their heads. One can't help but wonder: whatever happened to striving for originality, especially in what's being sold as the farewell film of a superstar?Anirudh Ravichander's background score injects much-needed energy into a handful of sequences, while Vijay remains the film's biggest strength. The actor brings charisma to the customary slow-motion entries and action set pieces.The supporting cast, however, is criminally under-utilised. Pooja Hegde is reduced to a handful of scenes, with a role that has no bearing on the story. Nasser barely registers in what amounts to a cameo, while Priyamani is given little of consequence to do. Bobby Deol, too, disappoints with a poorly written character that never rises above a generic villain.Overall, for all its lofty ambitions, Jana Nayagan rarely makes sense. Every time the story appears to be heading somewhere, it swerves into another subplot or revelation, most of which ultimately amount to little more than gibberish. Instead of leaving viewers invested, the film leaves them trying to piece together a narrative that never comes together. The irony is hard to miss. A film mounted as Vijay's grand farewell to cinema should have been remembered for its storytelling or emotional impact. Instead, it is likely to be remembered for the noise surrounding its release, because the film itself gives very little reason to remember it.