The second look of Kangana Ranaut from upcoming Jayalalithaa biopic Thalaivi (2020) has been unveiled on former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s 72nd birth anniversary.
Ranaut, dressed in a white sari with a black and red border, is a spitting image of Jayalalithaa when she was in her 30s and set to enter politics.
The film, being directed by AL Vijay, is based on the story of J Jayalalithaa, and touts to shed light on the lesser-known aspects of her life.
The film also stars Arvind Swami and Priyamani among others in key roles. Recently, Bengali actor Jisshu Sengupta was roped in to play the role of actor Sobhan Babu.
Sobhan Babu is a veteran Telugu star. He and Jayalalithaa were rumoured to be in a relationship and shared a very close bond.
Thalaivi will be made in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu. It has been titled Thalaivi in all the languages.
When Ranaut was announced for the titular role, the choice was received with some backlash. Soon after the announcement, Vijay clarified his stand on roping in Kangana and why she’ll justify the character.
The project has been on floors despite Jayalalithaa’s niece J Deepa filing a civil suit in the Madras high court to restrain the team from making a biopic based on her aunt’s life.