Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 4, 2019)

The Jayalalithaa biopic was christened Jaya in Hindi with its Tamil and Telugu counterparts being titled Thalaivi. However, mid-day has learnt that leading lady Kangana Ranaut has had a change of heart with regard to the film's title. Rumours suggest that the Hindi offering may be rechristened Thalaivi after Ranaut explained to the makers that the film may benefit from having a uniform title across languages.

A source reveals, "Director A L Vijay and the team had refrained from using Thalaivi as the title since they felt that the word would alienate audience beyond the South belt. However, Kangana recently had a word with the makers and pointed out that Bollywood films have often had titles that may not be necessarily Hindi, but have stayed true to the film's milieu."

"An example being Kai Po Che (2013), that derived its title from the Gujarati phrase and went wonderfully with the story. The actor told the makers that the Hindi version should bear the same title as the Tamil and Telugu offerings, and suggested that a tagline could be added with 'Jayalalithaa' or 'Jaya' in it so that there is no room for confusion regarding the film's subject. The makers are considering her recommendation."