Jaya's niece Deepa goes to HC against late AIADMK supremo's biopic makers

The biopic on former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, starring Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut, appeared to be heading for a legal tangle, with the late leader's niece moving the Madras High Court on Friday, seeking to restrain the producers from going ahead with the venture without her consent.

Submitting that she was a legal heir of the late AIADMK supremo, Deepa Jayakumar in a civil suit claimed that filmmakers A L Vijay, Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Gowtham Vasudev Menon did not have any legal right to produce the movie on the life and times of Jayalalithaa.

The biopic on Jayalalithaa, titled "Thalaivi" (the leader) in Tamil and "Jaya" in Hindi, is set to be produced by them and Ranaut has been identified to reprise the role of the former Tamil Nadu chief minister, she submitted.

Contending that the filmmakers might portray the life of her aunt and that of her as well in their "own version", the applicant said it might affect her privacy and that of her family.

The filmmakers intended to release the film for their commercial and monetary benefits without her consent, Deepa, the daughter of Jayalalithaa's brother, said.

To safeguard the personality rights of the late chief minister, protect her own privacy and that of her family, it was absolutely necessary to restrain the makers of the biopic from going ahead, without getting her approval for the storyline and the script, Deepa said in her plea.

The trio should not be allowed to either produce or release the film without her consent and approval, she said.

The shoot for the film is reportedly all set to take off and the movie is expected to release next year.

The court is expected to take up the suit for hearing on November 4.