Kangana Ranaut to play Jaya

Actor is the perfect choice for role, says director A.L. Vijay

Film actress Kangana Ranaut in New Delhi.

Kangana Ranaut will be essaying the role of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in a biopic titled Thalaivi to be directed by A.L. Vijay.

Confirming the developments, Mr. Vijay said that the actor was the perfect choice to portray a dynamic leader such as Jayalalithaa on screen. “Jayalalithaa is a national leader and we all felt that a talented actor like Kangana Ranaut, who is renowned nationally, would be the right fit for the role,” he added.

Mr. Vijay had earlier said that the biopic would bring out several elusive aspects of Jayalalithaa’s life and that they had carried out extensive research. Ranaut has won two national awards for her performances in the Hindi films

Fashion and

Queen . Her last release,

Manikarnika — The Queen of Jhansi, which was a biographical period film, saw her essaying the role of the Rani of Jhansi.

Thalaivi will have music by G.V. Prakash Kumar and cinematography by Nirav Shah. Produced by Vibiri Media, the film has K.V. Vijayendra Prasad, who earlier wrote the films Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan on board as well.

Other biopics

Two other biopics on Jayalalithaa are in the pipeline as well, with actor Nitya Menen essaying the role of the leader in a biopic called

The Iron Lady , directed by A. Priyadhaarshini. Director Bharathiraaja too is reportedly working on a biopic based on the political leader’s life.