Kangana Ranaut, who recently celebrated her birthday on March 23 is flying high with the success of her film Manikarnika, and is now all set to play the role of former chief minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa's biopic. Yes, you heard it right, the movie named Thalaivi in Tamil and Jaya in Hindi, was announced on Kangana's birthday by the makers.

The surprise element is that the Queen actor has been reportedly offered Rs 24 crore for Jayalalithaa biopic, highest ever for any Bollywood actor for any south movie.

A source told an entertainment website, "Kangana is being paid to the tune of Rs 24 crore for the bilingual project, which will be made in Hindi and Tamil. The makers are sure that her star power will help reach pan-Indian audience. Whenever Hindi artistes have done south movies, they have always shared screen space with a top star from the region. But the Manikarnika heroine will be leading from the front as the movie revolves around her character's journey. The producers have already signed a contract with her."

Since J Jayalalithaa's death, many reports surfaced that actors like Vidya Balan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha were also being considered for the role. 

However, for the latest reports, the filmmakers have now decided to sign Kangana, and she immediately agreed to be a part of the movie as she has claimed that she closely followed the life of the former Tamil Nadu chief minister. 

Kangana, in a statement, said, "Jayalalithaaji is one of the biggest female success stories of this century. She was a superstar and went on to become an iconic politician, it's a great concept for a mainstream film. I am honoured to be a part of this mega project."

Tollywood's famous AL Vijay will direct the movie, which will have cinematographer Nirav Shah, composer GV Prakash and lyricist Madhan Karky. Vishnu Vardhan Induri produces Thalaivi.

According to India Today, the makers have announced that Thalaivi is the 'official' biopic of Jayalalithaa as they had obtained a NOC (No Objection Certificate) from the former CM's nephew Deepak.

On the work front, Kangana is currently working on Mental Hai Kya and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's Panga. Later, she will start work on the Jayalalithaa biopic.