Kangana Ranaut bears an uncanny similarity to Jayalalithaa in a new still from 'Thalaivi'

On Jayalalithaa's 72nd birth anniversary, the makers of 'Thalaivi' a new still from the film featuring leading lady Kangana Ranaut as the late politician.

Kangana has transformed herself into a young "Jaya Amma", complete with a white saree and a red bindi as she smiles for the camera.

Kangana plays the former Tamil Nadu chief minister in her biopic 'Thalaivi'. Directed by AL Vijay, the film will follow Jayalalithaa's journey from an actress to a powerful politician. Kangana's look in the first poster of Thalaivi had received mixed reactions online, with some describing it as "fake" and others as a "disaster".

Addressing to all the criticism, Kangana's sister Rangoli shared Kangana's image on Twitter on Monday and cited Kangana's image was sans prosthetics or special effects.

"Kangana in and as #Thalaivi ... without any prosthetics or any special effects Kangana looks like Jaya Amma, shocking, determination can make anything happen #Thalaivi".

"The film is based on the story of the life of J Jayalalithaa, and touts to shed light on the lesser known aspects of her life," wrote Kangana Ranaut's team this morning while sharing the new look on Instagram.

Rangoli also paid tribute to Jayalalithaa by sharing the picture of Jayalalithaa on Twitter and wrote, "Today is Jaya Amma`s birth anniversary. Remembering #Thalaivi the revolutionary leader."

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The makers had earlier revealed the poster of the film featuring Kangana.

Speaking on essaying the role of the former Chief Minister, Kangana had earlier said, "After Manikarnika, this is my second biopic, and I am honoured to portray such a strong lady. Her personality was very different from anything I have portrayed earlier. It`s very gratifying to play someone who was so determined, persevered but had a silent strength which distinguished her from everyone else."

Sharing his insights into directing the multi-lingual film, being made in Hindi, Tamil & Telugu, director AL Vijay had said, "The film depicts the early years and struggles she faced both as an actor and as a politician."

"The film will be an unvarnished depiction of Late Jayalalitha`s life. Her life was a mix of glamour, love, heartbreak, struggle and success. Our focus is to make it as real as possible, without trying to glorify her, but show the human side of the person she was," he said.

Vijay stated that the leading lady Kangana has brought a fierce quality to her muse who was a firebrand. "Kangana`s dedication towards playing the character shows in the fact that she gained weight to stay true to the stage of her life that she is portraying. Her attention to details, her makeup and costumes will make it a visual treat for the audience, they will feel like they are watching Jayalalitha herself on screen," he added.

`Thalaivi` has been written by `Baahubali` and `Manikarnika` writer KV Vijayendra Prasad and `The Dirty Picture` and `Once Upon a Time in Mumbai` writer Rajat Arora. The movie will be releasing on June 26, 2020.