I do not need to know about the history of Tamil politics and Tamil cinema to tell you that Thalaivii is an objectively terrible film. A dramatized take on the rise of six-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa - from professional actress to conflicted lover to 'mother' of the masses - the film doesn't suffer from an identity crisis so much as an all-out quality crisis. Context is irrelevant when a primitive form of storytelling hijacks the guise of masala movie-making. When did masala become so unpalatable? I thought the whole point of entertainment was to adapt and engage, not regress into a time capsule of bland montages, kindergarten-level writing, simplistic staging and meta-awful acting. The Hindi version, now streaming on Netflix, is likely worse because of the obvious cultural dissonance. Sometimes, mediocrity transcends language and taste barriers. For this, I'm eternally grateful to titles like Thalaivii. It makes my job easier.
Read the full review on Film Companion.
Read the full review on Film Companion.