The announcement of a biographical drama on cinema titan V. Shantaram—whose visionary work sparked a true renaissance in Indian filmmaking—has created a major buzz. Recently, the makers revealed that Siddhant Chaturvedi will take on the most transformative role of his career, portraying the trailblazing filmmaker, social reformer, and artistic revolutionary long regarded as Indian cinema’s original rebel. Now, they have unveiled a striking poster featuring Tamannaah Bhatia as Jayashree, the acclaimed actress celebrated for her memorable performances in classics like Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani, Shakuntala, Chandra Rao More, Dahej, and more. Tamannaah is set to bring to life this iconic figure, who was also V. Shantaram’s second wife.
Tamannaah shines in the poster as Jayashree, draped in a gorgeous pink Nauvari saree that highlights her effortless grace. The moment you see it, you are transported to the vintage era. The film, titled V. Shantaram, is a historical biographical drama that honours the life, spirit and cinematic uprising sparked by one of India’s most visionary storytellers. The film traces his remarkable journey from the silent era to his emergence as one of the most influential auteurs in Indian cinematic history. The film throws light on how V Shantaram learned filmmaking under Baburao Painter in Pune despite being born in abject poverty in Kolhapur – and then left a mark in the Hindi film industry with movies like Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957), etc.
Talking about the same, Tamannaah Bhatia said, “It’s a great responsibility to portray a character rooted in one of the most influential eras of our cinema. And I feel immensely honoured to bring to life Jayashree, as she has been part of such legendary projects and the amount of grace she had was surreal. Shantaram built a legacy that continues to shape generations, and decoding his universe has allowed me to witness the brilliance of the man behind the legend. Bringing a piece of that legacy to the screen is truly a special feeling, and I am thankful for the makers of V Shantaram to see me as Jayashree.”
The makers added, “This will be Tamannaah’s most ambitious film of recent times. With her past work, she has proven that she can pull off any kind of role. She has an exceptionally charismatic screen presence, with an elegance that brings back the charm of legendary actors from cinema’s golden era. Given the fact that she can do varied kinds of roles, we are sure she will bring her grace and depth to this coveted role in the legendary film in the making, which aspires to honour a monumental legacy.”
Presented by Rajkamal Entertainment, Camera Take Films, and Roaring Rivers Production, V. Shantaram is produced by Rahul Kiran Shantaram, Subhash Kale and Sarita Ashwin Varde, and directed by Abhijeet Shirish Deshpande, the filmmaker behind the successful Marathi biopic, Ani… Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar (2018), also wrote the memorable Marathi film Natsamrat (2016) and Hindi titles like Table No 21 (2013), Wazir (2016), and Breathe (2018).
