'Queen' and 'Manikarnika' actress Kangana Ranaut will essay the role of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha in a biopic to be directed by AL Vijay. Titled 'Thalaivi', the film has been co-written by K Vijayendra Prasad, the 'Baahubali' writer.

The news is that producers Vishnu Induri and Shailesh R Singh have roped in Jason Collins, a Hollywood make-up artiste, for the biopic. Since Kangana will be seen in four different avatars (a separate look for four different age groups in Jaya's life), the talented artiste had to be roped in. 'Captain Marvel' and 'Blade Runner 2049' are two of his big films.

GV Prakash Kumar will compose the music. Nirav Shah will be the cinematographer. To be shot after Diwali, it will be released in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi in 2020.