Kangana Ranaut to gain weight for Jayalalithaa biopic, says Vijay

Filmmaker Vijay has revealed that he will spend the next one and a half years on the upcoming multilingual Jayalalithaa biopic Thalaivi (2020), which will feature Kangana Ranaut as the former Tamil Nadu chief minister. Shoot for this highly anticipated project will commence from July.

In a recent media interaction, Vijay opened up on the project and confirmed that the actress will gain weight for this project.

“I’ll be occupied with Thalaivi (2020) for the next year and a half. It will portray the life of a strong woman who rose and made a mark in a male-dominated society. Kangana has already started putting on weight to suit the part; she is also taking up Tamil classes and Bharatanatyam lessons. The film will start from the 16th year of Jayalalithaa madam. We will rope in make-up specialists from the USA to work on Kangana’s look,” he said, confirming the shoot will begin from July end.

He further revealed that the actors who will be seen playing key characters in her life from MGR to Sasikala are yet to be confirmed.

In a recent interview to Times of India, Vijay spoke about roping in Ranaut to play the titular role and backed it with a valid reason.

“This is a pan-India film, and Kangana is apt for the role. She is one of the biggest stars in India today and I think it is right that a top star plays the role of an important politician. This way, the story will also reach audiences across India. We consider this a pan-Indian film, not a regional one,” Vijay said.

He also said that the decision to cast Ranaut was not made easily.

“There was a lot of discussion before the decision was made to cast Kangana; we met several people as well. She is extremely excited about the project and wants to portray her with utmost honesty. She is learning Tamil for the film and will also be part of a one-month workshop to get into the character.”

To be shot and released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, the film is being produced by Vishnu Induri.