Thalaivii movie review: Kangana Ranaut and Arvind Swami with their strong performances try to save this film

The trailer of Kangana Ranaut starrer Thalaivii was launched in March this year. The film was earlier slated to release in April but due to the second wave of Covid-19 in India, the release date was postponed. Now, Thalaivii is all set to hit the big screens on 10^th September 2021.

Thalaivii showcases the journey of late actress-turned-politician, J. Jayalalithaa (Kangana). It starts with a scene where we are shown how Jayalalithaa was assaulted in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Later, the movie goes into flashback and showcases her journey that how she became one of the biggest names in the Tamil film industry, the relationship she shared with M. G. Ramachandran (Arvind Swami), how she joined politics and became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

The story of the film is written by K. V. Vijayendra Prasad who in the past has written some iconic films like Magadheera, the Baahubali franchise, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and others. But, Thalaivii is surely not one of his best works. Even the dialogues written by Rajat Arora don’t work much or create the drama required.

Director Vijay’s narration also fails to keep us engaged throughout the film. The first half of the movie which mainly concentrates on Jayalalithaa’s film career is very dull. The movie picks up well in the second half when her political journey begins. But, that too is just good in bits and parts. Also, the editing done by Anthony and Ballu Saluja is a mess.

While the story, screenplay, and narration are strictly average, the performances of Kangana Ranaut and Arvind Swami are the saving grace of this film. Kangana is undoubtedly one of the most talented actresses we have in the Indian film industry, and as Jayalalithaa, she has done a commendable job.

Arvind Swami as MGR is just amazing. He has performed really well and now, we wish to watch a biopic on MGR with Swami in it. Bhagyashree as Jayalalithaa’s mother looks beautiful in the film and is good in her part. Madhoo is totally wasted. One actor who deserves a special mention is Raj Arjun. He is damn good as R. M. Veerappan.

The music of the film is composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, and the song that leaves a mark is Nain Bandhe Naino Se. Also, Kangana has beautifully danced on it.

Overall, Thalaivii turns out to be an average film with strong performances by the leads, Kangana and Arvind. We surely expected more from this biopic.

Ratings: 2.5/5

Watch the trailer here…