History was created in the wee hours today when Emma Raducanu became the first qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam title & if the stars align for Djokovic, we will be in for another historical event tomorrow. The history so created makes us either spell bound in awe of the accomplishments or frown in dismay and if one has to choose an individual whose life have gone through such extreme fluctuations, then one of the popular answers would be former TN CM Jayalalithaa. This weekend saw the release of her biographical drama "Thalaivi" helmed by A L Vijay & the question was whether Kangana Ranaut was indeed the right choice as the protagonist???
The year is 1989 & Jayalalithaa (Kangana), the Leader of Opposition in the TN Legislative Assembly was humiliated & virtually disrobed by the ruling party on the back of a heated argument on the floor of the House. As the whole state (& nation) bowed their heads in shame on that Black day of Democracy, Jaya vowed that she will be back & at that time, it will be as the CM of the State. Hence begins an engaging biopic that covers her film career, relation with MGR (Arvind Swami, though the makers named the character as MJR) and her metamorphosis into the Iron Lady of Indian Politics.
AL Vijay is a name that doesn't need an introduction with movies like "Madrasapattinam" & "Deiva Thirumagal" to his credit. However, when a biopic is made on a prominent political personality like Jaya; then the makers would have to tread a very thin line lest the whole project itself could be shelved for obvious reasons. Keeping that in mind, Vijayendra Prasad was brought on board in the hope that he would create a wholesome engaging drama after all he had penned the script for the "Baahubali" series, "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" etc. As expected, the screenplay was engrossing & keeps the audience interested for most parts in the manner that Jaya was constantly beaten down by her adversaries & let down by her own people, but she always arose like a Phoenix. However, the length of the movie & an extended focus on the MJR-Jaya angle might be a turn off for some. On the technical side, pretty much everything deserves praise be it GV Prakash's BGM, Vishal Vittal's visuals and the production design.
When Kangana was announced as the protagonist, I certainly had my reservations about it as I felt Remya Krishnan would have been the apt choice (incidentally, a couple of months later Remya portrayed the role of Jaya in Gautam Menon's web series "Queen" & she completed aced it). But after Kangana's performance, I have to admit that she was just fantastic as she oozed vulnerability & authority in equal measure. She doesnt try to imitate Jaya but captures the nuance of the character perfectly & that essentially proved to be the winner. Just like wine, Arvind Swami has just got better with age as he was simply mind blowing as MGR (never thought I would say that after Lalettan's mesmerizing performance in "Iruvar") while Samuthirakani did his part justice. Most of the rest of the cast did their parts aptly.
Verdict: Irrespective of whatever controversial statements Kangana makes which rubs off people on the wrong side, there is no denying the fact that she is a fantastic actress. As Jaya, she pulled off yet another wonderful act which will rank as one of her finest to date. Though the biopic does not touch upon her political life which saw a lot of highs, turmoil & controversies, it still keeps us engaged. In short, do check it out!!!
Rating: 3/5
Regards...Ben
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