Kangana Ranaut calls it ‘uncanny’ how her home was demolished as she shot for Thalaivii’s Jayalalithaa assault scene

Kangana Ranaut, who is looking forward to the release of Thalaivii, has revealed in an interview how one incident on the sets of the movie bears an uncanny resemblance with her own life.

Directed by AL Vijay, Thalaivii features Kangana in the role of late Tamil Nadu chief minister and actor J Jayalalithaa. The film also stars Arvind Swami as MG Ramachandran and Madhoo among others.

Kangana narrated an incident that happened on the sets while promoting the film. In a conversation with journalist Sreedhar Pillai, she said, “It is actually uncanny that when we were shooting these scenes, when Jaya amma was assaulted in the assembly, Shiv Sena was breaking my house. It was happening exactly around the same time. I was on the set and shooting these scenes (assembly assault), this drama was going on in Mumbai. I felt like real and reel life are clashing into each other,” Kangana said.

On March 25, 1989, Jayalalithaa, the leader of the opposition and the first woman in the state to ever occupy that post, was assaulted in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly. In that incident, Jayalalithaa’s saree was torn.

Kangana added that she felt Jaya chose her to be part of this project. “I do want to believe that Jaya amma has chosen me to play her role because somewhere she sees me as a strong woman,” she said, adding that she’s also a powerful woman like Jayalalithaa and quite stubborn.

Kangana, who was last seen in sports drama Panga, spent close to six months prepping for this project. She underwent Bharatanatyam classes, learnt Tamil and spent hours in the prosthetic make-up sessions.

Also read: Kangana Ranaut says entering ‘toxic’ Bollywood is like breaching Great Wall of China: ‘A place with no love’

When Kangana was announced as the lead role, the choice was received with some backlash.

Soon after the announcement, director Vijay clarified his stand on roping in Kangana in an interview to a leading daily. “This is a pan India film, and Kangana is apt for the role. She is one of the biggest stars in India today and I think it is right that a top star plays the role of an important politician. This way, the story will also reach audiences across India. We consider this a pan-Indian film, not a regional one,” Vijay said.

ott:10