Mumbai: Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut is all set to portray former Tamil Nadu chief minister, J Jayalalithaa, in a biopic.
The actor-turned-politician, who passed away on December 5, 2016 due to cardiac arrest, is fondly referred to as 'Puratchi Thalaivi', which means 'revolutionary leader'.
Titled "Thalaivi" in Tamil and "Jaya" in Hindi, the biographical drama will be directed by Vijay, one of the top filmmakers from South who has helmed movies like "Madrasapattinam" and "Deiva Thirumagal".
"Jayalalithaa ji is one of the biggest female success stories of this century. She was a superstar and went on to become an iconic politician,it's a great concept for mainstream film. I am honoured to be a part of this mega project," Kangana said in a statement.
Vijay said he is aware of the responsibility of making this film and the team will deal it with utmost care and honesty.
"Jayalalithaa madam was one of the most prominent leaders of our country. Making a film on her life is a big responsibility and we are going to do it with utmost care and honesty.
"I am proud and happy with our association with Kangana Ranaut ji to portray the dynamic role of our very dynamic leader," he said.
The film will be written by K V Vijayendra Prasad, who has also penned "Baahubali" and "Manikarnika", and will be produced by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Shaailesh R Singh under the banners of Vibri & Karma Media and Entertainment.
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Sao Paulo (AP): Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti raised doubts about whether Neymar will be in his squad for the 2026 World Cup. The Italian has yet to pick the former captain since he took over in May.
“If Neymar deserves to be (in the squad), if he is, well, better than others, he will play in the World Cup and that's it. (But) I don't have debts to anyone,” Ancelotti said at a press conference in Washington on Friday following the draw.
Brazil is in Group C with Morocco, Haiti and Scotland.
“If we speak about Neymar, we have to speak about other players,” Ancelotti added. “We have to think about Brazil with or without Neymar, with or without other players. Our final list we will make after the FIFA fixtures in March.”
The 33-year-old Neymar has never fully recovered from a torn ACL in October 2023 during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. But he's been key for Santos in its fight to avoid relegation in the Brazilian championship.
On Wednesday, he scored a hat trick for Santos despite a muscular injury. He is expected to play again on Sunday against Cruzeiro.
Ancelotti said Brazil does not have a “referential player” at the moment, a tag for the most valuable player that Neymar has mainly worn since the 2014 home World Cup.
“We have one of the world's best goalkeepers, some of the best defenders, top midfielders and some players up front. I don't want players who want to be the best in the world, I want players who want to win the World Cup,” Ancelotti said.
Asked about his team's group, Ancelotti said Brazil can top it.
“We can win all three matches, our idea is very clear. We need to be competitive during the entire World Cup. Our goal is to play in the final and for that to happen you need to face very strong teams anyway.”
Brazil won the last of its five World Cup trophies in 2002.
