Thalaivi teaser out: Kangana Ranaut to show how Jayalalithaa made history

Kangana Ranaut announced the release date of her upcoming Jayalalithaa biopic, Thalaivi, with a short teaser. The film, directed by AL Vijay, will release on April 23.

On the birth anniversary of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Kangana Ranaut took to Twitter to announce the release date of Thalaivi. The film, which will see Kangana playing Jayalalithaa, will release in theatres on April 23.

Kangana Ranaut as J Jayalalithaa in Thalaivi.

Kangana made the announcement with a short teaser. While it does not feature any new footage, it has a voiceover, talking about how Jayalalithaa made history.

“Filmon mein aayi toh cinema ki tasveer badal di, politics mein aakar Tamil Nadu ki takdeer badal di. Apni kahaani khud likh kar woh naya itihaas rach gayi. Karodon ka naseeb badal kar woh ban gayi Thalaivi (When she entered the film industry, she changed the face of cinema. When she entered politics, she changed the fortunes of Tamil Nadu. She changed the destiny of crores of people and became Thalaivi),” the narrator said.

“To Jaya Amma, on her birthanniversary. Witness the story of the legend, #Thalaivi, in cinemas on 23rd April, 2021. @thearvindswami #Vijay @vishinduri @ShaaileshRSingh @BrindaPrasad1 @neeta_lulla #BhushanKumar @KarmaMediaent @TSeries @vibri_media #SprintFilms @ThalaiviTheFilm,” Kangana wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, Kangana tweeted that she gained 20 kgs to portray the older Jayalalithaa, and said that it ‘severely damaged’ her back. She said, however, that the ‘moments of despair’ were worth it when she saw how the film had shaped up.

Last year, in an interview with ANI, Kangana likened herself to Jayalalithaa: “She was a very reluctant actor. It is the same with me. I never wanted to be an actor, and that is why we became very unusual actors.”

“I think she always felt that she was worth much more than just being a glam doll [in films], and she became a politician. Like how I became a filmmaker because I felt that being an actress was very limiting for me. So, I think there are parallels,” she added.