Arvind Swami will play MG Ramachandran in Kangana Ranaut’s Jayalalithaa biopic. Titled Thalaivi, the film is being directed by Vijay. The story, which spans several decades, will shed light on how MGR became Jayalalithaa’s mentor as she forayed into politics through his party. 

Last seen in Bollywood in Dear Dad (2016), Arvind Swami, who has previously appeared in the 1998 Hindi film Saat Rang Ke Sapne, is best remembered up north for his roles in Mani Ratnam’s Roja and Bombay. 

Thalaivi is being co-produced by Shailesh R Singh and Vishnu Vardhan. The film will be released in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Speaking about Arvind’s part in Thalaivi, a source says, “MGR and Jayalalithaa starred in 28 box-office hits between 1965 and 1973. While the makers needed a worthy actor to do justice to his role, another criterion was that the artiste be fluent in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. Arvind satisfied both criteria. The unit will kick off Thalaivi's shoot with Kangana from the first week of November in Mysore, and Arvind will join her on November 15."

Kangana is training in classical dance and doing prosthetics tests for the role. Hollywood make-up artist Jason Collins, famed for his work on Captain Marvel, Hunger Games Mockingjay, and Blade Runner 2049, has been roped in for the film.