Thalaivii review: Kangana Ranaut as J. Jayalalithaa leaves a strong impact on viewers

Director: A. L. Vijay

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Aravind Swamy, Bhagyashree, Nassar, Raj Arjun, Poorna

Producer: Vishnu Vardhan Induri, Shailesh R Singh, Brinda Pras

Where to watch Thalaivii: In a cinema hall, or on Netflix

plot:

Thalaivii revolves around life of much-loved actor and politician J. Jayalalithaa, fondly called ‘Amma’. Played by Kangana Ranaut, film traces life of famous personality from her debut in film industry to entering public life through politics. Jayalalithaa began her acting career at young age of 16 opposite fan-favourite M. G. Ramachandran (MGR), played by Aravind Swamy in film. Despite being firmly against entering political life, Jaya takes on challenge to support MGR and begins her rar difficult climb to top to become ‘Amma’ of millions.

Watch Thalaivii trailer here

What works? (Spoilers ahe)

Right from its first scene, film catches pace and engages  audience. opening shot of Thalaivii begins with Jayalalithaa being assaulted and manhandled in Tamil Nu Assembly. After she leaves building, she vows to enter it only after she wins title of Chief Minister. It is after this scene that audience gets a first-hand look at Jaya’s life up until that very moment.

Kangana Ranaut gets into skin of her character and plays iconic Jayalalithaa perfect to T. Brilliantly capturing accent, believable acting and dancing make audience believe y are watching Jayalalithaa in flesh. Her dressing style that included elegant gold jewellery, hair accessories, printed sarees were details ded carefully by makers, enhancing aunticity of her character. Ranaut truly delivers some goosebump-inducing moments in film - be it her dialogue delivery or acting through her eyes.

Arvind Swamy plays his part to perfection. He embodies his character as an actor and politician opposite Ranaut well. characters in film are written exceptionally and are a realistic depiction of real-life individuals y take on onscreen. film also features or mediums of communication like rio and TV clips in black and white, which make viewing experience unique. time line of film too is portrayed in a systematic way, which helps audience understand every detail of Jayalalithaa’s life.

Thalaivii marks rise of Jayalalithaa in face of doubts of world that she faced. She was underestimated not only for being a 'woman in a man’s world’, but also for being from film industry. Despite world trying to bring her down, Ranaut’s depiction of Jaya’s determination and will to fight back prevails.

film focuses of three aspects of her life; personal, political and onscreen. A. L. Vijay’s direction gives fans a 360-degree view of life Jaya led. Although a serious film, it has moments of humour and romance, that make for an informative and entertaining watch as well.

What doesn’t work?

Although film was shot simultaneously in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, it did seem that some scenes were not shot in Hindi and were merely dubbed. This failed to convey exact emotion of scene and did not seem auntic. 

Thalaivii review: Final thoughts

best part about Thalaivii is that one does not need to have prior political knowledge before watching it. It takes audience through life of Jayalalithaa in a systematic and easy-to-understand way. music plays an integral role in film and elevates it to new heights with an dition of Kangana Ranaut’s outstanding performance. Thalaivii will be sure to give viewers an in-depth history lesson with a hint of entertainment as well.

Reviewer Rating: 4/5

Picture Credits: Kanganaily/Twitter