On the occasion of 71st birth anniversary of former Tamil Nadu chief minister and legendary actress J Jayalalithaa on Sunday, it was officially announced that a biopic on her life, titled Thalaivi, will be directed by AL Vijay. The project will go on the floors from April, but the makers are in the process of finalising cast and technicians.
Talking to The Times of India, Vijay said: “Actually, producer Vishnu Induri approached me last year with this story idea and asked me if I could direct the film. While I was excited with the idea, I was also reluctant because there’s a huge responsibility of making an honest biopic. She is an achiever who we’ve all grown up watching. But Vishnu was confident about this project. We spent the last eight months researching on her life.”
The film has story and screenplay by Vijayendra Prasad, the writer of the Baahubali franchise and Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
“It’s a blessing to have Vijayendra Prasad sir with us; we worked on more than 20 drafts, and finalised this one last month. 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,” Vijay said.
Vijay spent the last eight months on researching and developing his script. The film will be simultaneous made in Hindi and Tamil.
GV Prakash has been roped in to compose music while Nirav Shah will work the camera.
It’s worth mentioning that this will be the second biopic on Jayalalithaa. Another Jayalalithaa biopic, titled The Iron Lady, to be directed by Priyadarshini, will hit the screens in February 2020.