The Thalaivi trailer shows Kangana Ranaut as Tamil Nadu’s former Chief Minister at the peak of her power. It is very clear in the stylishly tailored trailer that Kangana is having a great deal of fun with her controversial politician’s character. She is looking heavier, more dramatic and crowd-pleasing than in any of her earlier author-backed roles in Revolver Rani, Queen and Manikarnika.
As is evident in the trailer Kangana has to show two levels in her performing abilities. As Jayalalitha the politician and Jayalalitha the actress. And let’s face it the two roles in the real Jayalalitha’s life were inter-changeable. To be a good politician, she had to be an actor and to be a ruling box office queen she had to know how to negotiate the politics in the film industry.
In both roles, Kangana negotiates with savage grace. That harrowing episode out of Jayalalitha's life when she was roughed up in parliament is recreated in the trailer. Kangana doesn’t hold back. When has she ever? Comparing herself to Draupadi in the Mahabharat, straddling the two worlds of politics and cinema with confidence, she is here to lay claims to another National award next year.
Arvind Swami is unrecognizable as M G Ramachandran. I honestly couldn’t recognize him! It is an amazingly transformative performance, and it would be interesting to see where the role goes. Is Arvind playing only the sexist catalyst? Or something more?
Would the biopic bring out the subtler shades of Jayalalitha’s character? At the moment it appears to be all black and white. And of course Eastmancolor.
Image Source: Instagram/kanganaranaut, youtube/zeestudios, spotboye archive images
Image Source: Instagram/kanganaranaut, youtube/zeestudios, spotboye archive images