Thalaivi (transl. Leader) is an upcoming Indian biographical film about the life of J. Jayalalithaa, politician and film actress who served six times as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, with Kangana Ranaut playing the role of Jayalalithaa. Simultaneously shot in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages, it is directed by A. L. Vijay and produced by Vibri Media in collaboration with Karma Media And Entertainment.
The film was launched officially on Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary, 24 February 2019. Initially the film was titled Thalaivi in Tamil and Jaya in Hindi and Telugu languages, but the makers later planned to release it under the title Thalaivi in all three languages. Principal shooting began on 10 November 2019 and completed in December 2020. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on 23 April 2021. As of April 2021, the release date of film has been postponed indefinitely due to rise in COVID-19 cases and lockdown in Maharashtra.
Cast
- Kangana Ranaut as J. Jayalalithaa
- Arvind Swami as M. G. Ramachandran
- Nassar as M. Karunanidhi
- Bhagyashree as Sandhya
- Samuthirakani as R. M. Veerappan (Tamil version)
- Raj Arjun as R. M. Veerappan (Hindi version)
- Madhu Bala as V. N. Janaki Ramachandran
- Thambi Ramaiah
- Poorna as V. K. Sasikala
- Bharath Reddy
- Vidya Pradeep
- Shanmugarajan
Production
Development
A. L. Vijay decided to make a film based on the life of AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa, who also served six times former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, when producers Vishnu Vardhan Induri approached him in early 2018, came up with the script. Vijay and Vishnu researched extensively for eight months to come up with the story. To make the writing more effective, Vijay teamed up with K. V. Vijayendra Prasad for the script who wrote more than 20 drafts for the script, with one being finalised.
The film will focus on the journey of a woman who has been successful in a male-dominated world. The most beautiful thing about her is that she has a powerful mind and is very strong willed; she is an inspiration for many. There will be honesty in the biopic, not drama.
— A. L. Vijay, on directing Thalaivi in an interview with The Times of India.
In August 2018, Vidya Balan was reported to play the lead character when the film initially came to news. However, when the project was launched on 24 February 2019 (Jayalalithaa’s birth anniversary), under the title Thalaivi, the makers had approached Kangana Ranaut to play Jayalalithaa’s role, as Vijay stated that her role will be apt for the film. Ranaut officially confirmed her part in March 2019, with the shooting being supposed to held on July 2019. However Vijay pushed the shooting date to October, citing pre-production delays.
Casting and characters
Ranaut started preparing for her role in May 2019. In September 2019, Prosthetic specialist Jason Collins, who worked on Captain Marvel (2019), was roped in to design Ranaut’s looks and has been reported that she will sport four looks in the film. Both Ranaut and Vijay headed to Los Angeles to undergo the prosthetic sessions. Ranaut also trained under dance master Gayathri Raghuram to choreograph Bharatanatyam sequences for this film so as to suit for the character. The second round of look tests were held during October, which led Ranaut to spend nearly two months for the preparation of her role. She also gained 20 kilos for her role in the film.
In October 2019, Arvind Swami was roped in to play the role of M. G. Ramachandran. The very same month, the makers approached Prakash Raj to play the role of DMK politician M. Karunanidhi, although he donned a similar character inspiring the politician in the 1997 film Iruvar. Vijay Deverakonda was reported to play the role of Sobhan Babu, Jayalalithaa’s close aide, before Jisshu Sengupta was finalised. Similarly, Priyamani was approached to play V. K. Sasikala, but, she could not allot dates for the film and the role went to Poorna; Madhoo essayed the role of V. N. Janaki.
Filming
Principal shooting began in Mysore on 10 November 2019. A huge set for a song sequence was erected at a studio in Chennai, and began filming on 1 February 2020, featuring Ranaut in a Bharatanatyam attire. During the song shoot Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, whom Ranaut worked in Panga (2020) made a visit to the sets. Production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with major portions being filmed, Ranaut stated not to resume shoot as the climax scene requires more than 300 extras and is to be made on a large scale. After multiple delays, the makers filmed the climax scene in mid-November 2020, with production being completed in December 2020.
Soundtrack
The music for the film is composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar and lyrics written by Irshad Kamil (Hindi version) and Madhan Karky (Tamil versions) and Sira Sri (Telugu versions). The music rights are acquired by T-Series.
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Chali Chali” | Irshad Kamil | Saindhavi Prakash | 3:22 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Mazhai Mazhai” | Madhan Karky | Saindhavi Prakash | 3:22 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Ilaa Ilaa” | Sira Sri | Saindhavi Prakash | 3:22 |
Release
The film was initially scheduled for a theatrical release on 26 June 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India. In June 2020, the team announced that the film will have a theatrical release and may not have a direct OTT release. The film is now scheduled for release theatrically on 23 April 2021 in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages. As of April 2021, the release date of film has been postponed indefinitely due to rise in COVID-19 cases and lockdown in Maharashtra.
Controversy
The producers initially received permission from Jayalalithaa’s nephew Deepak Jayakumar in his request to make it as “an honest portrayal of her life”. However, Jayalalithaa’s niece, Deepa Jayakumar, in November 2019, registered a complaint against the film’s makers through the Madras High Court. She asserted that she was the legal heir of Jayalalitha and that before making a movie or a web series about her life, the creators of the film should have approached her. She also said that the film makers have no legal right to make a film about the life of Jayalalithaa, which could affect the privacy of her aunt and her family. Deepa also demanded that the whole script be sent to her well before movie comes to the theatres. The Madras High Court gave Deepa approval to take legal action against director AL Vijay, film producer Vishnu and Gautham Menon who also made a web series about Jayalalithaa’s life titled Queen.
The first look and teaser released on 23 November 2019, received positive response praising Ranaut’s transformation. However, a section of audience expressed disappointment over the “terrible” prosthetics and initiated a troll fest through Twitter. Some netizens claimed that any other actor should have done better in place of Ranaut and further upset that she could end up “tarnishing Jayalalithaa’s image through this film”. However, Ranaut’s sister Rangoli Chandel defended the actress, saying that “those who got eyes can see the fantastic work done by the prosthetic team”.