On the occasion of 103rd birth anniversary of Late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MG Ramachandran, the first look of his character in the film Thalaivi has been unveiled. Aravind Swami stars as the yesteryear matinee icon, and took to social media to share the images and teaser of his role in the film.
Here is my first look as Puratchi Thaliavar, Makkal Thilagam MGR in #Thalaivi . A teaser follows at 10.30 am today. Hope u like it 🙏 pic.twitter.com/LjnN6Ybwrw
— arvind swami (@thearvindswami) January 17, 2020
The makers reportedly felt that the late CM’s birth anniversary was the appropriate occasion to pay tribute to an iconic person in the state’s politics and cinema. The director of the film, Vijay, said, “As I have said before, it’s an honour for me to be getting an opportunity to direct a film like Thalaivi. To look at the lives of legends who have been instrumental in shaping Tamil Nadu.” In the video that was released Arvind Swami’s recreation of MGR’s iconic ‘Naan ungal veetu pillai’ song is perfection.
The director also touched on the casting process. He said, “One of the more challenging parts of taking on this project was casting the roles. Once Kangana Ranaut was on board to play the late CM, Dr J Jayalalithaa, the task ahead to cast Dr MGR was difficult too, since he is such a revered person even now. I felt that Aravind Swami would look perfect.”
The actor’s resemblance, and posture to the late politician is unmistakeable, and it is something even the makers echo. According to the director, “We are in awe of the way in which he is breathing life into this character. He has spent a lot of time getting to know the late legend.”
Produced by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Shaailesh R Singh for Vibri Motion Pictures in association with Karma Media & Entertainment, Thalaivi will release worldwide on 26 June 2020.
