Mixed response to Thalaivii from AIADMK grassroots-level workers
CHENNAI: Thalaivii movie starring Kangana Ranaut as AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa and Arvind Swami as AIADMK founder MGR has evoked mixed reactions among the AIADMK workers. The women party workers are enthralled over the portrayal of Jayalalithaa as a strong and bold politician making a mark in the male-dominated Dravidian politics, but a few party old-timers say the film has not brought the true colours of DMK that has insulted their leaders MGR and Jayalalithaa on several occasions.
A die-hard fan of MGR and former AIADMK minister D Jayakumar who watched the movie’s first show on first day had requested the producers of the film to delete certain scenes of Kangana and Arvind Swamy terming that the scenes were in bad taste.
However, Jayakumar told the media that the film from a commercial point of view has come out well, but again it had failed to detail the atrocities and insults meted out to their party leaders by the DMK.
“The opening scene recalls how Amma was manhandled and her saree pulled in the Assembly when the state was ruled by the DMK. The film ends abruptly with the first regime of Amma dating back to 1991,” says S Sankari, AIADMK
women’s wing functionary who had watched the movie twice.
“There are so many artists who could talk like Amma. The dubbing voice for Karuna is similar to Kalaignar, but the character Jaya’s voice was not like that of Amma, opined Sankari.
It gives goosebumps for any AIADMK worker to see Thalaivar MGR and Jayalalithaa in a film and this movie recalled that mood,” north Chennai MGR Mandram functionary Poonga Nagar Selvam said.
“In my view, the role of MGR is so powerful and dominating till the end. It was a visual delight to see a young MGR again and Arvind Swami was good enough to play our Puratchi Thalaivar, But there are several misleading scenes in the film which should be deleted,” Selvam said.
“The film in general talks about the rise of former CMs MGR, Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa, but the corruption and the controversies are not revealed in the movie. The film has no reference about the second and other terms of Jayalalithaa,” opined G Govardhan, a software professional adding the movie will help youth know their late leaders.