'Thalaivii' Kangana Ranaut looks like a replica of late Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa in these stills!

The multilingual biographical film is about the life of Jayalalithaa, who had paired opposite yesteryear matinee idol and late chief minister M G Ramachandran, fondly addressed as MGR, thespian the late Sivaji Ganesan and many others before charting a successful political career.

Kangana and Arvind Swami, who recreated Jayalalitha and Maruthur Gopala Ramachandran's epic romance in the romantic track 'Teri Aankhon Mein'. The song is a soulful mix of four of the biggest hits of the 60s and 70s in south cinema.

To prepare for her role, Kangana first put on 6 kg to fit in the role. She later gained up to 20 kgs for her role in the film.

The slender actress underwent a major transformation for her character. She had revealed that for the voluptuous role, she gorged on weight-gaining food and mild doses of hormone pills.

'Thalaivii' will be released in theatres worldwide in Hindi, Tamil and Telegu by Zee Studios.

The superstar of Tamil cinema, Jayalalithaa was trained in Carnatic music, western classical piano, and various forms of classical dance, including Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Manipuri, and Kathak.

The trailer of 'Thalaivii' highlighted the varied phases of Jayalalithaa's life, throwing light on her struggles in the early stages of her film career to her rise to stardom. The film also vividly depicts the battles of Jayalalithaa in her political career as the legendary leader who shaped Tamil Nadu politics.

Directed by Vijay, 'Thalaivii', presented by Vibri Motion pictures, Karma Media Entertainment, and Zee Studios in association with Gothic Entertainment and Sprint films.

The biographical drama has been produced by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Shailesh R. Singh and co-produced by Hitesh Thakkar and Thirumal Reddy with Brinda Prasad as the creative producer.

Initially, the film was titled 'Thalaivi' in Tamil and Jaya in Hindi and Telugu languages, but the makers later planned to release it under the title 'Thalaivii' in all three languages.

Kangana Ranaut started preparing for her role in May 2019. As per reports, she will sport majorly four looks in the film. 

The producers initially received permission from Jayalalithaa's nephew Deepak Jayakumar in his request to make it as 'an honest portrayal of her life'. However, Jayalalithaa's niece, Deepa Jayakumar, in November 2019, registered a complaint against the makers through the Madras High Court. She asserted that she was the legal heir of Jayalalitha and that before making a movie or a web series about her life, the creators of the film should have approached her. She also said that the film makers have no legal right to make a film about the life of Jayalalithaa, which could affect the privacy of her aunt and her family.