Queen of hearts and Amma of masses: My quick take on Kangana’s “Thallaivi’
After watching this epic biography about a woman who practically scripted her destiny, someone who got what she wanted, someone who braved insurmountable barriers at every step of her journey, my admiration for Jayamma has only grown. It is just coincidental that the problems persisted till the film's release, which was postponed due to the epidemic; otherwise, this would have been another Jaya – MGR blockbuster release in my opinion.
I grew up in Maharashtra and had little access to South Indian films at the time. As a result, despite being an ANNA (South Indian), my knowledge of south Indian films was restricted only to "Shankarabharanam." Those were the days when NTRs, MGRs, and Dr. Rajkumars controlled the south Indian film scene. Later, thanks to television, I was able to catch up on a couple of Dr. Rajkumar's epic films. However, Telegu and Tamil films were still beyond my reach.
I was able to experience the bygone era of Tamil filmmaking thanks to the creators of "thalaivi," which was masterfully reproduced by the art director. The first part of the film brings you to the golden period of Tamil filmmaking when a love blossoms between a Superstar and a rising starlet. Without a doubt, Kangana has physically slid into the skin of Jayamma's persona, but I greatly loved Arvind Swami's unrecognizable depiction of MGR. His make-up was flawless, and his posture, walk, and disposition was identical to MGR's. Arvind Swamy's MJR, like the actual MGR, stole the spotlight anytime he was in the frame.
Biopic films are notorious for sugarcoating their protagonists, and this is no exception. The other characters in the biography begin to seem pallid as a result of this process; for example, Naser's portrayal of Karunanidhi is quite caricaturish. Even Sasikala's character does not develop; perhaps this is kept for Part 2. ( my guess, because the movie abruptly ends with Amma becoming CM, hence I feel picture Abhi Baki hai )
Kangana has a good possibility of winning another National Award for her outstanding performance, in fact as you sit through the movie you will never realize that a non south Indian is playing the main lead. Every performer in the film has given their all. The art director, cinematographer, and director are all running for a national award.
I simply loved it hence watched it twice, once in Kannada on Amazon and in Hindi on Netflix. If you love biopics then don’t miss it.
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