‘Thalaivii’ Review: A detailed look at J. Jayalalithaa’s rise through the ranks

• Release Date: 10/09/2021
• Platform: Netflix
• Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Arvind Swami, Nassar
• Director: A.L Vijay

Thalaivii chronicles the journey of J. Jayalalithaa from her humble beginnings as a naive but strong-willed heroine in the Tamil Film Industry to acquiring the post of the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. While it may seem like just another rag to riches story that we have seen 1000 times before, J. Jayalalithaa’s life had enough material in terms of story, drama, romance, and thrills to propel at least a couple of films. The tale of her rise to power in a landscape dominated by men who were looked upon as demigods were complex, layered, powerful, and was peppered with numerous incidents and twists that were perfect for a dramatic cinematic retelling. The only question that plagued me was whether the makers of the film had it in them to tell the story efficiently and would it be possible for someone like Kangana Ranaut to shun her pride and deconstruct herself to be the character of J. Jayalalithaa more than the self-proclaimed firebrand torchbearer of women empowerment that she has metamorphed into over the last few years.