Nayanthara, Anushka or Manjima: Who should play the lead role if a Jayalalithaa biopic is made?
Nayanthara, Anushka or Manjima: Who should play the lead role if a Jayalalithaa biopic is made?

Nayanthara, Anushka or Manjima: Who should play the lead role if a Jayalalithaa biopic is made?

In a recent Twitter chat with fans, Trisha had said she'd love to play Jayalalithaa.

In a recent Twitter chat, actor Trisha said that if given a chance, she'd love to play Jayalalithaa in a biopic on the late Tamil Nadu CM.

While no filmmaker has announced such a project yet, it would indeed be an intriguing film if it ever gets made.

Aishwarya Rai played Kalpana, a character inspired by Jayalalithaa in Mani Ratnam's Iruvar. The film, however, killed off her character towards the end and did not get into her political career.

Although Bollywood as well as the southern film industries are making more women-centred films, it would take an intrepid filmmaker to embark on the project, given the many twists and turns in Jayalalithaa's life.

Besides, the AIADMK still depends on her image to garner votes and is unlikely to accept any film that's less than a hagiography. But if at all such a film happens, here are choices for who should play Jayalalithaa:

Ramya Krishnan: A Fully Filmy poster that cast Ramya as Jayalalithaa went viral a few weeks after Jayalalithaa's death. The actor, who chanced upon the poster, said that she'd be very interested in playing the role.

Ramya Krishnan, who has played the heroine and the villain with equal aplomb, has a powerful screen presence that would suit Jayalalithaa's character. While Ramya can easily play an older Jayalalithaa, someone younger would be required to play the teenager who made her debut in the film industry and rose to become the six-time Chief Minister of the state.

Anushka Shetty: Like Ramya Krishnan, Anushka too has played powerful roles on screen. She's capable of delivering fiery dialogues and speeches, as was evident in Baahubali 2 in which she played Devasena.

Further, she's a committed actor who is willing to work on her appearance according to the character she's playing. For her film Inji Iduppazhagi, she shunned prosthetic and chose to gain weight to look the part.

Anushka has the stature to carry off Jayalalithaa's role but we might still need another actor to play the very young Jayalalithaa.

Anjali: Among the best women actors in Tamil cinema, Anjali is yet to get her due. She can play a naive young girl and a spirited woman just as easily. One can imagine her deliver Jayalalithaa's public speeches with conviction.

With the help of a good make-up artist, Anjali can possibly play the younger Jayalalithaa as well as the older one.

Nayanthara: The Lady Superstar is increasingly looking to play woman-centric roles and she will soon be seen as a District Collector in Aramm.

Nayanthara is hugely popular in Tamil Nadu and has great screen presence. Though she rose to the top playing glamorous roles, Nayanthara appears keen to do more substantial cinema. She has delivered whenever given an opportunity and playing Jayalalithaa will justify the title that her fans have bestowed on her. 

 
Vinodhini Vaidyananthan: We've only seen her in supporting roles but this actor knows her job and has pulled off spirited female characters with ease. 

While a big star might be the obvious choice to play Jayalalithaa, she will have the additional baggage of needing to shed her own established style as a heroine before getting into the shoes of the late CM. A supporting actor playing such a lead role will have an element of freshness.

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

Divya Spandana/Ramya: A young politician with a background in cinema, Divya is familiar with both worlds that Jayalalithaa struggled against and survived. She is known to speak her mind and has a personality that can pull off Jayalalithaa's role.

Interestingly, Divya also studied in Church Park, the same school that Jayalalithaa went to.

Image courtesy: PTI

Khushbu: A top heroine in her heydays, Khushbu inspired enough devotion among her fans to build a temple for her. The actor then got into politics and is currently the National Spokesperson of the Congress party.

Khushbu has thus experienced the rigours of cinema as well as politics, and would be a perfect fit in Jayalalithaa's role. She also bears a resemblance to the late CM. A younger actor would have to play the role of a teenaged Jayalalithaa.

Manjima Mohan: The young actor has done only a handful of films but she has a wide fanbase. She made her Tamil debut with Gautam Menon's Achcham Enbadhu Madamayada and has been commended by critics for how natural she is before the camera. 

Manjima, we feel, would be a good fit for the younger Jayalalithaa if different actors essay the role as the biopic progresses.

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