Arvind Swami has shaved his moustache for his role in upcoming Jayalalithaa biopic Thalaivi. A picture of his clean-shaven look surfaced on social media and it went viral.

In Thalaivi, which stars Kangana Ranaut as Jayalalithaa, Arvind Swami plays former Tamil Nadu chief minister and legendary actor MG Ramachandran aka MGR. MGR played a very instrumental role in the life and career of Jayalalithaa. Apparently, it was after great contemplation the makers zeroed in on Arvind Swami.

Thalaivi, which will be directed by Vijay, will be made in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu. It has been titled Thalaivi in all the languages. Kangana, who was last seen in Judgmental Hai Kya, spent close to six months on prepping for this project. She underwent Bharatanatyam classes, learnt Tamil and even spent hours in the prosthetic make up sessions.

The project was announced along with its title and first-look poster on February 25, on the 71th anniversary of Jayalalithaa. It’s worth mentioning that when Kangana was announced for the titular role, the choice was received with some backlash.

The film has music by GV Prakash Kumar while Nirav Shah will crank the camera. Veteran writer Vijayendra Prasad of Bajrangi Bhaijaan fame has been roped in to oversee the writing process.

The project has gone on floors despite Jayalalithaa’s niece J Deepa filing a civil suit in the Madras High Court to restrain the team from making a biopic based on her aunt’s life.