Saturday, October 16, 2021

Thalaivi (Tamil Movie)

Saw the Tamil movie Thalaivi. This is a biopic about Jayalalithaa. This is not a review. Here are my thoughts after watching that movie. 

Kangana Ranaut playing the role of Jayalalithaa. In beauty, poise, and personality, she is no comparison to the original. If Jayalalithaa is a 10 Kangana Ranaut is a 2. Can’t they find any Tamil actress to play this role? 

Aravind Swamy as MJR (MGR). If MGR is a 10 Aravind Swamy is a 4. He looks like many people who come on TV as a “MGR look alike” and entertain the audience. 

The only good acting I saw was when Kangana Ranaut goes to a dilapidated school and cleans it. 

They show RNV as a villain. May be the Director thought every movie should have a hero, heroine, and a villain. So he chose RNV for a villain part. Thank God the Director did not make Karunanidhi as a comedian. As per Film News Anandan “R.M. Veerappan had an antipathy towards Jayalalithaa that had no basis at all.” 

There are many factual errors. Here are a few. 

The film shows Jayalalitha is trying to flirt with MJR and become his lover. Again, as per Film News Anandan “She was definitely not flirtatious or pushy in her behavior towards MGR or any producer.” The rumor goes that MGR kept Jayalalitha under his control all the time. 

Chief Minister Annadurai did not die of old age. He died at the age of 59 due to oral cancer.

Karunanidhi was not the Deputy Chief Minister at that time. He was elected as the Chief Minister in the last minute with the support of MGR. Nedunchezhian, the senior most leader in the party, was the prohibitive favorite to be become the Chief Minister. He was upset by Karunanidhi.

The Director introduces Sasikala as a videographer. She was never a videographer. She had a small store renting Tamil movie CDs. She used to go to Jayalalitha’s home to deliver the rentals. 

The movie shows the Madras/Delhi/Madras flights as Air India planes. Indian domestic flights (when Jayalalitha was Rajya Sabha Member) were operated by Indian Airlines and not by Air India. In 2007, the Indian Government announced the merger of these 2 airlines and completed the merger in 2011. 

As for as this movie is concerned, it is very difficult to believe this is a biopic about Jayalalitha. We can enjoy this movie if we forget this is a biopic. In order to make it good, they conveniently did not show any of her faults and arrogance. 

Not impressed with this movie.  In  order to be politically correct, Kangana Ranaut may win some national awards for portraying Jayalalitha.

16 comments:

  1. This movie is perfect to share ur thoughts about....as its all about tamil nadu politics.... sadly everyone soo easily gives their negative thoughts on a movie.... but noone ever discusses the effort that went into making a movie(be it the truth or fake) I was expecting more from this blog.... as to what went well .....

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    1. This is a very good if we do not think it as a Jayalalitha biopic. Suppose this a movie about an actress who lost her movie chances, and by accident got into politics and rose to become Chief Minister against all odds..then this is an excellent movie.

      This movie was not made after 100 years after her death. Many people have known her and seen her in real life. So as a biopic this is unacceptable movie. As a regular story, it is a very good movie.

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  2. Kangana Ranaut is a very good and talented actress but no comparison for Jayalalitha's magnanimous personality and beauty. I have seen rose complextioned young Jayalalitha in person and the arrogant magnanimous looking Jayalalitha in person.Iron lady of Tamilnadu, she is popularly known as. Her arrogant attitude is shown in the last scene when she asks the assistant to remove all the chairs so that no one sits in front of her. There is another biopic of Jayalalitha, a web series, starring Ramya Krishnan who has done better than Kangana

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    1. Thanks for your comments Gowri. In order to be fair to her (in the movie) she, at first, asked her party people to sit down 3 times. They said they prefer to stand. To teach them a lesson, she asked the chairs to be removed.

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  3. I don’t know much about movies except from the reviews in friends’ blogs.
    I found a different take by Simi Garewal who had once interviewed JJ as below
    “Although I do not support Kangana Ranaut's radical comments, I do support her acting talent. In Thalaivii she gives it her heart and soul! Jaya-ji wanted Aishwarya (Rai) to play her... my hunch is JJ wud have approved of Kangana's portrayal. As for Arvind Swami, he is MGR reincarnate.”
    Views differ!

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    1. Thanks for your comments Mr. KP. You are entitled to your opinion. This is a free country.

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  4. This movie denigrated DMK and AIDMK both.
    Karunanidhi was a great visionary. MGR had desire for doing good for people.
    And brahmins co-operated with DK. In the past. Now. And in future. This co-operation kept Jayalalitha going.

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    1. Thanks for your comments Kirtivasan. You are entitled to your opinion. This is a free country.

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  5. In spite of the shortcomings, I want to watch this movie on Prime Video. I don't know much about JJs former life as a star..

    Destination Infinity

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    1. Thanks for your comments Rajesh. Watch it as a movie and not as a biopic. Movie is full of exaggerations and untruths.

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  6. It was more like a Documentary than a movie. Most biopics project only the convinient versions of the person.
    Web Series- Jaya was more intrutive than this.

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    1. Thanks for your comments Viyoma. Long time no see. Hope you and your family are doing well.

      You are absolutely correct. It was like a documentary than a movie. Also, full of not so true info.

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  7. I can't believe that the movie has so many factual errors. Slight deviations from reality is common in such movies. But not so many such errors.

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    1. Thanks for your comments Pradeep. If they take a movie about someone lived 100 years ago, many people will not notice these errors. But Jayalalitha lived among us so everyone notice these factual errors.

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  8. When they take biopic, usually, facts will loom twisted. It is better to grab the life story as the script and acting done in the actors' own way, would be acceptable by people. Nice version.

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