Thalaivii

Thalaivii (transl. Female leader) is a 2021 Indian biographical drama film based on the life of actress and politician J. Jayalalithaa. Directed by A. L. Vijay and written by V. Vijayendra Prasad, with dialogues by Madhan Karky (Tamil) and Rajat Arora (Hindi), it was produced by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Shailesh R Singh. The film stars Kangana Ranaut as Jayalalithaa, Arvind Swamy as M. G. Ramachandran, Nassar as M. Karunanidhi, and Raj Arjun and Samuthirakani as R. M. Veerappan in the Hindi and Tamil versions, respectively. Shot simultaneously in Tamil and Hindi, the film features an ensemble cast including Bhagyashree, Madhoo, Thambi Ramaiah, and Shamna Kasim. The music and background score were composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar. The film was officially launched on Jayalalithaa's birth anniversary on 24 February 2019. It was initially titled Thalaivi in Tamil and Jaya in Hindi, but was later released under the title Thalaivii in both languages. Principal photography began on 10 November 2019 and was completed in December 2020. The film's release was postponed due to a rise in COVID-19 cases and lockdowns in Maharashtra. It was later released on 10 September 2021. Made on a budget of ₹100 crore, the film grossed ₹4.98 crore and was a box office bomb. The film received mixed reviews, with praise for Ranaut and Swamy's performances but criticism for the screenplay. It received four Filmfare Award nominations, including Best Actress for Ranaut, which was later revoked.