Thalaivi: Kangana Ranaut's biopic on Jayalalithaa faces trouble as Madras HC grants niece permission to sue makers

The Madras High court has granted former Tami Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s niece to sue AL Vijay, director of the Kangana Ranaut-fronted Thalaivi , which claims to be a biopic on the late statesman, reports India Today. As per the new development, Deepa, who is Jayalalithaa’s legal heir, can now file a civil suit against AL Vijay and his team, as well as other filmmakers who are making films based on Jayalalithaa’s life. Deepa Jayakumar, Jayalalithaa’s niece, claimed family members should have been consulted and their permission sought before portraying the private and political life of the former chief minister. She added the film was being made for the filmmaker’s personal gain (in terms of commercial success), but could adversely affect the image of the public personality and her family. The court had then issued notices to Gautham Menon, AL Vijay, and Vishnuvardhan — who are all developing projects on the former AIADMK chief’s life and times. Another filmmaker, Vishnuvardhan, also got the notice. He is scheduled to film a biopic on Jayalalithaa. Priyadarshini is also scheduled to head a film on Jayalalithaa, which has Nithya Menen play the lead role. But whether Priyadarshini has got any notice or not was unclear. Deepa claimed there were as many as five filmmakers who have been involved with work on the late politician, and none of them have taken the necessary permission. Kangana’s Thalaivi announcement, however, came with the news  the makers had received an NOC (No Objection Certificate) from Deepak, Jayalalithaa’s nephew. Deepak is also Deepa Jayakumar’s elder brother. AL Vijay’s film is being made in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi simultaneously, and is slated to release on 26 June, 2020. Check out the recently released teaser of Kangana Ranaut’s Thalaivi