A string of political biopics released during the election season across multiple industries in the last couple of years, though none of them bore fruit at the box office. The two-part biopic of NTR (NTR Kathanayakudu and NTR Mahanayakudu), Lakshmi’s NTR (NTR through the lens of Lakshmi Parvati), Yatra (a biopic of YSR), PM Narendra Modi and Thackeray, have all met with insipid results. Yet, the fascination to mount more political biopics haven’t ended. The first major political biopic this year, Thalaivi, based on actress-politician Jayalalithaa is getting ready for a release on April 23 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
Jayalalithaa has had an interesting life that is both an open book and an enigma of sorts. Though audiences are mostly aware of the series of crucial events in her life, one may never really know the mind of the former TN CM in all those phases. Her tumultuous childhood lead her to a life in the tinsel town when she was barely in her teens. She was involved in multiple relationships and subsequently transformed into an unlikely politician who triumphed against all odds.
The main problem with Thalaivi is the same issue that plagued all the aforementioned biopics – the pro-Jayalalithaa tone and the say of the establishment on ‘what to’ and ‘what not to’ depict in the story. The timing of the biopic is also extremely questionable – months ahead of the TN Assembly elections. The ambition to make the film on a grand canvas and a stellar cast – Aravind Swamy, Madhoo, Poorna, to name a few – is for a reason that the political propaganda gets widespread attention.
A partly fictionalised biopic on Jayalalithaa, Queen, starring Ramyakrishna, has been watched by many on streaming platforms and the show has captured the actress’ journey in detail until she takes a political plunge. Most biopics have become an excuse to whitewash the image of a popular figure, minus their flaws or eccentricities. Kangana looks very much her part and so does Aravind Swamy as MGR, but will the audience watch a film where they know what they’ll get?