Kangana Ranaut will play J Jayalalithaa in the upcoming film Thalaivii. The film is set to hit theatres this week, and Kangana has spoken out about how she believed she was the “worst” choice for the character of the renowned actress-turned-politician.

Kangana Ranaut, who will portray Jayalalithaa on-screen, revealed in a recent interview that she had ‘doubts’ about taking on the character of a person with temples in the South when the script was presented to her.

In a chat with Film Companion South, Kangana said, “I thought I was the worst casting for Thalaivii. The worst there can be. Vijendra sir came to me, and I saw Jaya maa’s videos, and I was like what!”

She went on to share how she came from the North and her face was different from Jayalalithaa’s looks. She also spoke about how she had doubts about how she will look after gaining weight for the role. Talking about it, Kangana said, “the sheer obstacles of me, in my 30s, to gain 20-25 kgs of weight. And who knows how I’ll look after gaining… I would go mad, I would stress about it, and at this stage of my career I have so much to lose. So I was filled with doubts when it came to Thalaivii.”

However, the actress went on to say that it was the film’s director, Vijay, whose conviction convinced her to take the part. Kangana stated he thought she was “ideal” for the part and that she would be able to carry it off.