Sep. 10, 2021|India|153 Min.|n/A
Genre: Adventure;Biography;Bollywood;Crime;Drama;Family;History;Mystery;Romance;Thriller
Description: Thalaivii, released in 2021, is an Indian biographical drama film that chronicles the life of the renowned actress and politician J. Jayalalithaa. Directed by A. L. Vijay, the movie features Kangana Ranaut in the lead role as Jayalalithaa, with Arvind Swami portraying M. G. Ramachandran. Shot simultaneously in Tamil and Hindi, the film is written by K. V. Vijayendra Prasad, Madhan Karky (Tamil), and Rajat Arora (Hindi). It is produced by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Shailesh R Singh under the banners of Vibri Motion Pictures and Karma Media And Entertainment, respectively. The supporting cast includes Nassar, Bhagyashree, Raj Arjun, Madhoo, Jisshu Sengupta, Thambi Ramaiah, Shamna Kasim, and Samuthirakani. The music and soundtrack, composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, are available in multiple languages.
Officially launched on Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary, February 24, 2019, the film was initially titled “Thalaivi” in Tamil and “Jaya” in Hindi and Telugu. However, the creators later unified the title as “Thalaivii” across all language versions. Principal photography began on November 10, 2019, and concluded in December 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in Maharashtra, the release was delayed. It was eventually scheduled to premiere on September 10, 2021.
Kangana Ranaut began preparing for her role in May 2019, working with prosthetic specialist Jason Collins, known for his work on “Captain Marvel” (2019), to create four distinct looks for the film. She also underwent training in Bharatanatyam under choreographer Gayathri Raghuram to align with her character’s portrayal. Additionally, Ranaut gained 20 kilograms to authentically embody Jayalalithaa. Arvind Swami joined the project in October 2019 to play M. G. Ramachandran, while Prakash Raj was considered for the role of DMK politician M. Karunanidhi.
Thalaivii offers a compelling depiction of Jayalalithaa’s journey from her acting career to her influential role in Indian politics, capturing her struggles, achievements, and legacy.
Cast director: A. L. Vijay
Cast actor: Kangana Ranaut, Arvind Swamy, Nassar, Bhagyashree, Samuthirakani, Madhoo, Thambi Ramaiah, Bharath Reddy, Shamna Kasim, Vidhya Pradeep
Original name: தலைவி