Although Kangana Ranaut‘s ambitious ‘Thalaivii’ had a pan-India release on 10th September in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, it had a limited reach since major multiplex chains refused to screen the Hindi version of the movie due to the 2-week theatrical window before its OTT release. Consequently, the outcome has been disastrous, with the Hindi and Telugu movie collections not even worth a mention, though the Tamil version has been the only saving grace. The latest buzz, however, is that despite ‘Thalaivii‘ not being well-received, the makers have already started working on the sequel. One can argue if the move is a smart one or the announcement comes at a bad time, nevertheless it may further be looked at as a strategy to recover the profits.
Directed by AL Vijay, ‘Thalaivii’ is a biopic on Tamil Nadu’s former chief minister and actress-turned-politician Jayalalithaa. Exactly like the MX Player web series ‘Queen’ (also made on her life), the movie too, ends with her introduction into politics and the beginning of her first term as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. However, post that Jayalalithaa served as CM for six terms, during which her achievements for the state made people worship her and give her the ‘Amma’ tag. So the second half of her journey is also a big one, which of course, also depicts the political turmoil and controversies that plagued her reign.
The makers of ‘Thalaivii’ were clear that they were targeting the first part of Jayalalithaa’s career- ‘Cinema se CM tak’- and that if at all they planned to show her journey ahead, they would make it into a sequel. “Politics is another chapter of her life over 20-30 years and cramming it within 15 minutes wouldn’t have done it justice”, said writer Rajat Arora. However, reports are rife that the team and actress Kangana are on board, ready to take on the second part of the journey forward. Only time will tell if it proves to be a smart move or have disastrous consequences like the first film. Meanwhile Kangana, currently working on her film ‘Tejas’, is awaiting the release of ‘Dhaakad’ and has another meaty role in the pipeline as Godess Sita in ‘Sita- The Incarnation’.