Thalaivi
Director: AL Vijay
Mould: Kangana Ranaut, Arvind Swamy, Nassar, Bhagyashree and Raj Arun
I have often wondered why film stars exert so much influence during Tamil Nadu politics. In the midst of the new, two-and-a-half-hour long, AL Vijay’s Thalaivi—Aravind Swamy, who plays Maruthur Gopal Ramachandran, better known as MGR, tells J Jayalalithaa, played by Kangana Ranaut, “If you’re a public figure.” Ko pyar dog, toh woh bhi pyar dega,” I find the answer to the half-god status that actors turned politicians enjoy mostly in South India.
Thalaivi, late J. Jayalalithaa, an actress-turned-politician who served six times as the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu. But by no means is Thalaivi a political film. It is a romantic film at heart.
The film takes us through a journey with politics as the backdrop to the rumored relationship between MGR and Jayalalithaa. Jayalalithaa was “Ammu” to MGR. She expected to be with Matinee idol who was already married and 31 years older than her. The MGR-Jaya duo became such a hit in Tamil cinema that between 1966 and 1970, they acted in over 40 films, of which about 28 were blockbusters.
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It begins in the 60s when Jayalalithaa was just an upcoming actress while MGR was already a superstar and over the next three decades showing how time and politics created a rift between the two superstars. But as they say, love prevails over all. Years later, MGR and Jaya joined the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) as politicians.
The audience is immediately taken to the world of MGR-Jaya, both of whom are strong personalities. The film presents the bare truth of their relationship and also shows the rise in their personal political career. There are few scenes which showcase the unspoken love between Jayalalithaa and MGR. The director has captured these moments very beautifully.
We already know the climax of the film, but with that handicap, filmmaker Vijay packs in enough layers of drama and emotion, with just the right amount of wit and light humour, in this wonderful screenplay written by KV Vijayendra Prasad. At every point of Madan Karki (Tamil) and Rajat Arora (Hindi), we are constantly curious to know what happened next. The makers have been consistent with the timeline and have not tried to dramatize any event.
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Of course, like all great dramas, Thalaivi has a fast, deliberate tempo, which at times becomes too slow. Things pick up pace in the second half as we witness the transformation of an actor into a politician. The film certainly could have ended at least 15 minutes earlier, but overall, the proceedings are too compelling to worry about timing.
The biggest problem with the biopic is that it tries to be a biography. While Thalaivi doesn’t really venture into that territory, it certainly doesn’t touch on the political controversies in J Jayalalithaa’s life. It touches on all the good work done by the leader who was affectionately called Amma by the people of Tamil Nadu, but failed to address other issues. There’s a lot missing here—which could have been flavorful in this flat “rise of a woman” story.
What works wonders for the film is the performance. The fact that Kangana does not try to modify her voice or pick up a Tamil accent is a wise decision. With the aid of clever nuances and minimal make-up, she transforms into this actor-turned-politician and delivers a pitch-perfect portrayal.
Swami comes down to the role and makes MGR his own, and pausedly, he takes in between his lines, the twists of his face and various other small nuances, he is so convinced, MGR has no way out. Is. In real life things have been different. Special mention to Raj Arun, who we remember as Secret Superstar’s ruthless father, playing the role of producer-turned-politician RM Veerappan. He pits against the character of Ranaut and gives a winning performance. Veteran south actor Nassar excels as former Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi.
Despite some obvious hiccups, Thalaivi is an otherwise watchable and frankly, very entertaining film.
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