First glimpse of Arvind Swami as MGR from Thalaivi unveiled, see pics

Actor Arvind Swami, who plays the late Tamil Nadu chief minister Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran — or  MGR as he was popularly known — in the upcoming J Jayalalithaa biopic Thalaivi, on Thursday unveiled the first look of himself as the politician.

He took to Twitter and wrote that it was both an honour and a great responsibility to play the leader.

Thalaivi, which has been directed by AL Vijay, stars Kangana Ranaut as J Jayalalithaa, who was MGR's protege.

“It was not just an honour to play the role of Puratchi Thalaivar MGR, but a great responsibility. I thank director AL Vijay & producers Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Shaailesh R Singh for having faith in me. I humbly post these pics in Thalaivar’s memory, today (sic).” he wrote.

Going by the pictures shared by Swami, it looks like the makers have put a lot of effort into perfecting the look of the cast.

The film is being made in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu. It has been titled Thalaivi in all the languages.

Ranaut, who was last seen in sports drama Panga (2020), spent close to six months prepping for the project. She attended Bharatanatyam classes, learnt Tamil and spent hours in prosthetic make-up sessions.

The project, along with its title and first look poster, was announced on 25 February last year.

When Ranaut was announced as the leading lady, there was some backlash. Vijay, however, justified the decision, stating, “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.”

The film features music by GV Prakash Kumar while Nirav Shah is the cinematographer. Veteran writer Vijayendra Prasad, who wrote Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), was roped in to oversee the writing process.