‘Thalaivii’ movie review: Arvind Swami kills it as MGR in a Jayalalithaa biopic that has her playing a cameo
The Hindu
It is odd that 3/4th of the film, which claims to be a biopic on Jayalalithaa, is taken over by men where Jaya is sidelined, which in itself is reflective of her private-public life. It is equally odd that the two most stand- out characters, in a film about Jayalalithaa, are MJR and Karuna, played by Arvind Swami and Nasser respectively
There is a chirpy and equally snarky little moment in Thalaivii where Jaya (Kangana Ranaut. Why) gives a press conference singing praises about Sivaji Ganesan, in order to get back at MG Ramachandran, whose advisers have now shadow banned her from pairing up with the star for obvious political reasons. Jaya, who would later be known for anything but being diplomatic, gives a rather measured response to a question about who the better actor was: Sivaji Ganesan or MGR, an all-too easy question. If you are still wondering, it is Sivaji. At least that seems to be a common perception. . But director Vijay’s Jaya does what can only be described as quintessentially Jayalalithaa. She tells, rather asserts, her manager that it is she who is the better actor and not her male counterparts. This scene lends itself to Jayalalithaa’s personal life, if you purely go by the definition of ‘acting’ wondering if her legacy was the best character she ever played, whether she had been wearing a ‘mask’ all through her personal and political life. You will never truly know who Jayalalithaa was or rather what. She was, to put it simply, an enigma.More Related News