'They will burn theatres': Kangana Ranaut hopes Thalaivii meets fans' expectations

Kangana Ranaut said that she thought she was the worst choice possible to play former Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa in Thalaivii.

Actor Kangana Ranaut has said that she was surprised when she was cast as the former Tamil Nadu chief minister, J Jayalalithaa, in the upcoming biopic Thalaivii. Kangana hails from Himachal Pradesh, and said that she thought she was ‘the worst casting for Thalaivii’.

Kangana Ranaut at an event of her latest film Thalaivii. (PTI)

In an interview, she said that the filmmakers had everything to lose by casting her, and if they felt she's suited for the role, then there must be some ‘merit’ to it.

Kangana Rananut told Film Companion South, “I thought I was the worst casting for Thalaivii. The worst there can be. Vijendra sir came to me, and I saw Jaya maa's videos, and I was like ‘what!’”

She continued, “He kept saying, ‘You have to do it, you have to do it’. And the sheer obstacles of me, in my 30s, to gain 20-25 kgs of weight. And who knows how I'll look after gaining… I would go mad, I would stress about it, and at this stage of my career I have so much to lose. So I was filled with doubts when it came to Thalaivii… Few people gave me a lot of confidence. Vijendra sir comes from the Telugu industry, but it's Vijay sir who actually… He said, ‘You will do it, you are the perfect casting’. And I thought he will be bashed in Tamil Nadu and he has so much to lose; people are going to be offended. But he's a big director, there must be some merit in it. He also has everything to lose. You know how people are. Jaya maa has temples. They will burn theatres if someone doesn't live up to (expectations). That kind of passion people have for her. So his conviction worked a lot for me.”

Thalaivii, co-starring Arvind Swami, Nassar and Bhagyashree, traces the life of Jayalalithaa from when she was an ingenue in the movies to her career as a politician. The film is slated for a theatrical release on September 10.