Thalaivii

<p>In 1989, (nicknamed Jaya), a member of the , and the opposition party, questions the current chief minister, from the party, about the corruption charges, arrests and eavesdropping levelled against her and her party. She demands his resignation and upholds the preceding Chief Minister, , as someone who truly served the people. However, the ruling party questions her relationship with MGR, resulting in a brawl after Jaya is slapped. Some MLAs from the ruling party attempt to disrobe Jaya; comparing herself to , Jaya pledges she would return to the session only after becoming the Chief Minister. The incident garners widespread media attention and sympathy for Jaya. In 1965, MGR is at the peak of his film career; producer fires and burns all traces of her character from his next film after she shows affection to MGR as Veerappan believes that MGR must stay to preserve the public perception of him as a “god”. Jaya, then 16 years old, is pushed by her mother Sandhya, a yesteryear actress, to act in films. Jaya replaces , but her unenthusiastic attitude manifests itself in haughtiness. Upon realising her mother just wants her to succeed in her career, and after MGR’s respect touches her for a crew member who is hurt on set, Jaya takes a softer stand. The film is a success, so MGR and Jaya shoot more films together and grow fonder. Veerappan again tries to ward off Jaya but she uses her wit to make him back off. Still, Jaya is hurt knowing that she’s the other woman in the eyes of the public, as MGR is married to . Jaya repeatedly says she touches her hero thinking of him as she hugs her mother, she considers MGR as a protector like her father, her brother. She realizes she is not respected by a few people close to MGR when MGR is shot in the neck and hospitalized. As MGR recovers, Veerappan hires another actress for MGR’s next film and offers a full and final settlement to Jaya to stop her continuous lead pairing with MGR. Jaya tries to discuss this with MGR but he brushes this away, saying it is a matter of one film. To retaliate, Jaya praises MGR’s rival in a press conference and makes a hit film with him while MGR’s next film flops. MGR apologizes and gets her to star in more films with him. MGR enters politics with his friend and the then CM , but his film schedule interferes with his party duties, leading to his ouster. MGR meets Jaya to tell her he has chosen politics over a career in films and leaves with Veerappan. Meanwhile, her mother Sandhya’s demise affects Jaya to a great extent. On board a flight, she is seated beside MGR only to know why he couldn’t attend her mother’s funeral. Jaya says she cannot be the other woman in his life anymore and does not want to meet secretly to have a conversation. After Annadurai’s death, MGR wins the election to be the Chief Minister again and created his own political party called ADMK which is renamed AIADMK, while Jaya is offered a film for playing the character of his elder sister in 1981. However, Jaya refuses such offers. Jaya accepts a stage performance at a government event in , where MGR is the guest. He meets her backstage to discuss their memories. By whistling, he takes a moment to appreciate her performance in private and wants her to join politics. However, she refuses initially because politics is something she dislikes. Touched by the condition of girls and other children’s education in schools, Jaya highlights the midday meal services under MGR’s name by serving him the unhygienic food at his office. MGR inspects the mid-day meal service, changing it into a more healthier and hygienic one. He advises Jaya to take up the mid-day meal service program for the state to which she agrees and forays into politics. She is fondly called “Amma” by locals. She markets the food scheme door to door and continues to partner with MGR, politically. Jaya also takes up the portfolio of education. Meanwhile, elections are around the corner, a valuable from the is stolen, and a saint is killed. The opposition takes advantage of the situation and says the current political party has “no man left” as they are under Jaya’s influence in the party. In a political address to clear the air, stones are pelted at her. To stop the pelting, she speaks in opposition of MGR. However, she successfully changes the opinion of the crowd, pointing out and is assigned the job of the party’s propaganda secretary, and ends up winning in that district. Now an MP she is sent to to meet the Prime Minister, , but is blatantly barred from doing so. In a session, requests the speaker to let Jaya speak about South India’s situation. Boldly speaking on the disregard of South India and the issue of splitting power generated from the , an impressed Gandhi allows her in. Jaya created a controversial alliance with the that was heard by MGR through the news. Seen as a betrayal, Jaya is expelled from the position of secretary by Veerappan while MGR is flown to the United States for treatment, leading to a dire situation. Veerappan finds out that . However, calls up Veerappan to let Jaya campaign for the party during MGR’s absence. The campaigning saves the party and it continues to stay in force. On his return from the USA, MGR and Rajiv Gandhi discuss how Jaya kept the spirit alive. Impressed again, MGR plans to meet Jaya for dinner, prepared at her home in 1987. Jaya awaits MGR that night only to learn in the wee hours that he is no more. During MGR’s funeral, Jaya stands behind MGR’s coffin and keeps vigil on him, while she is pushed and pinched by supporters of Janaki. Jaya is also angrily pushed out of the funeral procession. Post MGR’s demise, Veerappan wants MGR’s wife Janaki to take up MGR’s position but Janaki accepts her defeat and steps back from politics, saying Jaya has done more for the public. This results in the AIADMK party splitting into two factions, one supporting Janaki and the other supporting Jaya, making it more unstable. Thus, Karunanidhi from the rival DMK party becomes the new chief minister. Back in 1989, after the infamous assault on Jaya, Veerappan apologises to Jaya for the harm he had done to her from the start and becomes her aide. Later, in 1990, a lorry runs into Jaya’s car as part of a plot against her and her assistant . Despite her injuries and the party’s situation, she manages to campaign during the day and night. In , Sasikala passes a note to Jaya during her campaign, only to know of . After campaigning, her party wins nearly every seat. Finally, she enters the legislature again as the and gets the respect she deserves. She then uses her power to bring all the male members of her party under her leadership. Vishnu Vardhan Induri decided to make a film based on the life of ‘s former general secretary , who served six times as the for more than fourteen years between 1991 and 2016. Producer Vishnu Vardhan Induri approached in early 2018, to direct the film. Vijay and Vishnu researched extensively for eight months to come up with the story. To make the writing more effective, Vishnu brought in for the script who further developed the script. 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. — , on directing in an interview with . In August 2018, 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 , the makers had approached 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 in July 2019. As per Kangana, there will be two parts of the film. The first part focuses on life of Jayalalilthaa from 16 to 40. There will be a second film, where her life from 41 to her death in 2016 will get covered. In November 2019, it was revealed that the biopic will be shot simultaneously in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. However, the Telugu version was dropped in favor of a dubbed release. Ranaut started preparing for her role in May 2019. In September 2019, prosthetic specialist Jason Collins, who worked on (2019), was hired to design Ranaut’s looks and it 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 to choreograph 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, was roped in to play the role of . The very same month, the makers approached to play the role of politician , although he donned a similar character inspiring the politician in the 1997 film . was reported to play the role of , Jayalalithaa’s close aide, before was finalised; however, this role was later dropped. Similarly, was approached to play , but, she could not allot dates for the film and the role went to ; essayed the role of . Principal shooting began in on 10 November 2019. A huge set for a song sequence was erected at a studio in , and began filming on 1 February 2020, featuring Ranaut in a Bharatanatyam attire. During the song shoot , whom Ranaut worked in (2020) made a visit to the sets. Production was halted due to the , with major portions being filmed, Ranaut stated not to resume shoot as the climax scene requires more than 3000 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. The music for the film is composed by and lyrics written by (Tamil version) and (Hindi version) and Sira Sri, , , and Kalyana Chakravarthy (Telugu dubbed version). The music rights are acquired by and . All lyrics are written by . All lyrics are written by . 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 . 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”. The film was initially scheduled for a theatrical release on 26 June 2020, but was postponed due to the . In June 2020, the team announced that the film will have a theatrical release and may not have a direct OTT release. The film was then scheduled for release theatrically on 23 April 2021 in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages. As of April 2021, the release date of film was indefinitely delayed due to rise in cases and lockdown in Maharashtra. It was later rescheduled to release on 10 September 2021, with the new title . The film will be available for streaming on and simultaneously, four weeks after its theatrical release. The makers of announced a two-week window for the Hindi version and a four-week window for Tamil and Telugu versions of the film before its release in the . Multiplex chains and have expressed their disapproval over this policy and appealed for a uniform four-week window across all the language versions. Ranaut responded they could a find a solution with the talks so that “the Hindi version can also find love and appreciation on the big screen.” Thalaivii after limited and single screen theatrical release in India, It was released on ( ) 2 weeks later and on ( , , , ) 4 weeks later with respect to the deals made by producers with OTT platforms. The Hindi version of the film had its world television premiere on on Christmas Day, 25 December 2021. The film was anonymously dubbed in as and was released on . Made with a budget of , the film earned in its first week at the box office. reported that the movie had a dismal opening. The Hindi version earned ₹20 lakhs on Day 1, while it earned ₹80 lakhs in Tamil Nadu. Total Day 1 collection was reported to be ₹1.25 crore. The film was a box office failure. Upon release, Thalaivii was met with mixed reviews from film critics; Ranaut and Swamy’s performance was praised but the screenplay of the film drew criticism. Review aggregator website reports that 20% of 10 critic reviews were positive, with an average rating of 4.7/10. critics rounded the review with a score of 3.5 on 5, calling the film overall a well-made and well-written political saga that is embellished with yet another award-winning performance by Kangana Ranaut. Also, Critic based at , Renuka Vyawahare said: “Kangana & Arvind Swamy pay a resounding ode to Jaya-MGR’s poignant love story”. She awarded the film 3.5/5 score. However, she added: “The political aspect feels talky, half baked and one-sided.” In her review for , Shubhra Gupta wrote, “For a film that revolves around Kangana Ranaut as J Jayalalithaa, it does give others their due: Arvind Swamy as MGR, Bhagyashree as Jaya’s mother and Nassar as Karunanidhi.” She awarded the film 3 stars on 5. Unmesh Panwani of rated the film 2.5 on 5, adding. “All said and done, Thalaivii has a lot of good things going in its favour but it remains half-baked only for the reason of ‘what it could’ve been?” Saibal Chatterjee in his review for called the film botched by massive missteps, the film as Amma (Mother) of all misfires. However, he praised a few of the performances, especially Arvind Swami, who “absolutely nails the MGR impersonation.” He gave the film 2 out of 5 score. Lakshmi Subramaniam of pointed: ” may come across as a melodramatic excuse for a biopic.” She awarded a score of 2 on 5. Film critic wrote: “Kangana Ranaut gets the look right, but is unable to completely inhabit the dynamism of the character, which Arvind Swami does with enviable ease in an award-worthy performance.” of described as a “larger-than-life movie told in an almost mythical masala mode” and wrote, “Scene after scene, the achievement of the film is how there’s always something new that keeps your eyes riveted, even though you already know these stories”. Nandini Ramnath of opined: “A flattering and flattening portrait of J Jayalalithaa. survives the pedestrian writing and unimaginative direction”. Monika Kukreja of Hindustan Times stated: “The Kangana Ranaut-starrer is packed with solid performances and an attention to period detail, but is let down by its length and an incomplete-feeling story.” Srivatsan of opined: “it is only fair to say that is a half-biopic. The problem with is not exactly the ‘ -fication’ of a dramatic life in public. It is bending facts with fiction, through hearsay stories”. Ambica Sachin of gave the film a rating of 3/5 praising Ranaut’s performance she wrote, “Kangana doesn’t try to mimic the iconic leader but rather delves into the spirit of a woman whose journey from Ammu to Amma, a figure revered and reviled in equal measures by those who knew her, is the stuff of folklore”. Manjusha Radhakrishnan writes for , in her review, she noted: “Everything’s on the nose in this film as they depict every situation and twist with no nuance”, whereas praised, “Kangana Ranaut and Arvind Swamy shine in this overdramatic political drama”. She assigned a score of 2.5 on 5. Mike McCahill of summarized: “While more nuanced than many of its star’s recent statements – it could hardly be otherwise – the film still feels like a passive-aggressive idea of doubling down.” He compared the plot and character as if went to , awarding it 2 stars out of 5. Several publications listed as one of the best films of 2021. of listed it as one of the best movies of 2021. Aparita Bhandari of listed it as one of the top ten best Bollywood movies of 2021. listed it as one of the top thirty best Hindi movies of 2021. Jasmine Ting and Corinne Sullivan of listed it as one of the twenty-six best Bollywood movies of 2021. Kumari Purvi of listed it as one of the top five best films of 2021. Subhash K. Jha of listed it as one of the seven must-watch films of 2021. Kunal Purandare of picked as one of his favourite movies of 2021. listed it as one of the top female-lead films of 2021. Avantika Chopra of listed it as one of the best women-centric films of 2021. was featured among the top twenty best films at the . For her performance in , Twinkle Khanna of listed Ranaut as the best female performer of the year 2021. Ranaut was initially nominated for the , but her nomination was revoked after she accused of having an unethical awarding system. 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, , in November 2019, registered a complaint against the film’s makers through the . 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 who made a web series loosely based on the life Jayalalithaa’s life titled which starred essaying the title role.</p>