Amid the promotions of her latest film, Thalaivii, Kangana Ranaut shares that if people support her, she could very well try her hand at politics. By Christy Varghese
Irrespective of one’s opinion on Kangana Ranaut, most folks won’t deny that the prolific actor is someone who carries herself with poise and elegance. And that delicate charm was on display when she greeted us with folded arms, accompanied by producer Vishnu Vardhan Induri as they were in town for a press conference for Thalaivii.
The film, based on the life of Indian actor-turned-politician, J Jayalalithaa, was shot simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi and was set to release in theatres earlier this year however, the second wave of the pandemic pushed plans forward. Thalaivii finally released yesterday on single screens and multiplex chains, which would be playing the Tamil and Telugu versions of the film, courting critical acclaim on multiple fronts.
Coming back to the press conference, Ranaut’s voice faltered as she takes the mic and said with a sheepish smile, “Don’t worry, it’s not Covid. I got a test done, and this is just a cold. I think the hectic promotions got to me.”
The first question posed was something that was on everyone’s mind; how much of the film is based on real elements? And without batting an eyelid, Induri replied, “Thalavii, the film, is based on the book Thalaivi by Ajayan Bala, which is based on facts and we haven’t deviated from it.”
When asked if there was any scope of her mirroring the life of Jayalalithaa, with a foray in politics, especially since she is particularly vocal about matters concerning national interest, Ranaut responded, “I am a nationalist and I speak for the country not because I am a politician but because I consider myself a responsible citizen. As far as entering politics is concerned, I might need a lot of support from the public but right now I am happy to be an actress. But if tomorrow people like me and support me, then definitely I would love to.”
She went on to share, “As a member of the general populace, we are extremely harsh with politicians. I myself was someone who would regard politicians in a poor light. That those who are in power were simply lucky. However, working in Thalaivii helped me gain a much more nuanced understanding of politics. I realised that they are people just like us, who have a lot going on in their lives, with their share of problems. There are several layers to each person’s life and politicians are no different. A politician’s life is not as easy as you would expect, they have to deal with some serious challenges.”
Moving on, she expressed that Jayalalithaa has grown to become her personal hero. “Thalaivii serves as a reminder that it is not necessary to pull a man down to empower women. It highlights the role of MGR, played by Arvind Swami in the film, who encouraged and helped her. Personally, I started admiring her when I found out how she walked her talk. As we all know, when she was assaulted by members of the state assembly, she went on to famously say that she will come back as the chief minister of the state. And that is what she precisely did! She served as Tamil Nadu’s CM six times,” Ranaut observed.
She was also quizzed about whether she felt she had done justice to the role, to which Ranaut replied, “We all know the stature Jayalalithaa had achieved in her lifetime. There are temples dedicated to her. I remember when it was announced that I would be playing her, there was an immense backlash by the masses. It was asked, why is a North-Indian like me playing the role of Jayalalithaa? But today those very people are praising me.”
Induri pitched in, “It was not just her prowess as an actor that made Ranaut a good fit for the role, her dedication to her work is renowned — she puts herself at the disposal of the director — and it was a delight to work with her as a producer. She stood by the team and told us, the producers that we should do whatever it takes to recover the investment we have made. When was the last time you heard of an actor carrying themselves in such a remarkable straightforward manner?”
Well, everyone can agree with that.
After the release of the Telugu and Tamil versions in theatres, Thalaivii is set to release in Hindi on Netflix, tentatively two weeks after the theatrical release.