Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the head of government, chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the Governors of states of India, governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, bu ...
for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2016, she was the 5th and longest-serving general secretary of the
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief mi ...
(AIADMK), a Dravidian party whose cadre revered her as their "'" (Mother) and "'" (Revolutionary leader). Her critics in the media and the opposition accused her of fostering a
personality cult
A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create an id ...
and of demanding absolute loyalty from AIADMK legislators and ministers, who often publicly prostrated themselves before her.
Overview
Jayalalithaa rose to prominence as a leading film actress in the mid-1960s. Though she had begun her acting career reluctantly at her mother's behest to support the family, Jayalalithaa was a prolific actor. She appeared in 140 films between 1961 and 1980, primarily in the
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
languages. Jayalalithaa received praise for her versatility as an actress and her dancing skills, earning the sobriquet "Queen of Tamil Cinema". Among her frequent co-stars was
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...
, popularly known as 'M.G.R.', a Tamil
cultural icon
A cultural icon is a person or an artifact that is identified by members of a culture as representative of that culture. The process of identification is subjective, and "icons" are judged by the extent to which they can be seen as an authentic ...
who leveraged his immense popularity with the masses into a successful political career. In 1982, when M.G.R. was chief minister, Jayalalithaa joined the AIADMK, the party he founded. Her political rise was rapid; within a few years she became AIADMK propaganda secretary and was elected to the
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
, the
upper house
An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...
of
India's Parliament
The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...
. After M.G.R.'s death in 1987, Jayalalithaa proclaimed herself as his political heir and, having fought off the faction headed by M.G.R.'s widow, V. N. Janaki Ramachandran, emerged as the sole leader of the AIADMK. Following the
1989 election
The following elections occurred in the year 1989.
Africa
* 1989 Beninese parliamentary election
* 1989 Botswana general election
* 1989 Equatorial Guinean presidential election
* 1989 People's Republic of the Congo parliamentary election
* 19 ...
, she became Leader of the Opposition to the DMK-led government headed by M. Karunanidhi, her ''bête noire''.
In
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
, Jayalalithaa became chief minister for the first time and Tamil Nadu's youngest. She earned a reputation for centralising state power among a coterie of bureaucrats; her
council of ministers
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
, whom she often shuffled around, were largely ceremonial in nature. The successful cradle-baby scheme, which enabled mothers to anonymously offer their newborns for adoption, emerged during this time. Despite an official salary of only a rupee a month, Jayalalithaa indulged in public displays of wealth, culminating in a lavish wedding for her foster son V. N. Sudhakaran ( Sasikala's elder sister son) on 7 September 1995. In the 1996 election, the
AIADMK
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief m ...
was nearly wiped out at the hustings; Jayalalithaa herself lost her seat. The new Karunanidhi government filed several corruption cases against her, and she had to spend time in jail. Her fortunes revived in the 1998 general election, as the AIADMK became a key component of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 1998–99 government; her withdrawal of support toppled it and triggered another general election just a year later.
The AIADMK returned to power in 2001, although Jayalalithaa was personally disbarred from contesting due to the corruption cases. Within a few months of her taking oath as chief minister, in September 2001, she was disqualified from holding office and forced to cede the chair to minister O. Panneerselvam. Upon her acquittal six months later, Jayalalithaa returned as chief minister to complete her term. Noted for its ruthlessness to political opponents, many of whom were arrested in midnight raids, her government grew unpopular. Another period (2006–11) in the opposition followed, before Jayalalithaa was sworn in as chief minister for the fourth time after the AIADMK swept the 2011 assembly election. Her government received attention for its extensive social-welfare agenda, which included several subsidised -branded goods such as canteens, bottled water, salt and cement. Three years into her tenure, she was convicted in a disproportionate-assets case, rendering her disqualified to hold office. She returned as chief minister after being acquitted in May 2015. In the 2016 assembly election, she became the first Tamil Nadu chief minister since M.G.R in 1984 to be voted back into office. That September, she fell severely ill and, following 75 days of hospitalisation, died on 5 December 2016 due to cardiac arrest and became the first female chief minister in India to die in office.
Jayalalithaa never married and had no children. On 29 May 2020, her nephew J. Deepak and niece
Deepa Jayakumar
Deepa Jayakumar (born 10 November 1974), also known as J. Deepa, is a former politician and journalist.
Personal life
Deepa was born on 10 November 1974Madras High Court.
Early life, education and family
Jayalalithaa was born on 24 February 1948 to Jayaram and Vedavalli (Sandhya) in a
Tamil Brahmin
Tamil Brahmins are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, predominantly living in Tamil Nadu, though they number significantly in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, in addition to other regions of India, as wel ...
Iyengar
Iyengar (also spelt Ayyangar or Aiyengar, pronounced ) refers to the name of an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, whose members follow Sri Vaishnavism and the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja. Found mos ...
Mandya
Mandya is a city in the state of Karnataka. It is the headquarter of Mandya district and is located from Mysore and from Bangalore.
Sugar factories contribute to the major economic output. It is also called Sugar city (which in Kannada mean ...
district, then in
Mysore State
Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a state within the Dominion of India and the later India, Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's c ...
(now
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
). She was initially named Komalavalli after her grandmother. She had a brother named Jayakumar.
Her paternal grandfather, Narasimhan Rengachary, was in the service of the
Mysore kingdom
The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary alliance with Brit ...
as a surgeon and served as the court physician to Maharaja
Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV
Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar; 4 June 1884 – 3 August 1940) was the twenty-fourth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore, from 1902 until his death in 1940. He is popularly called ''Rajarshi'' ( sa, rājarṣi, lit ...
of Mysore. Her maternal grandfather, Rangasamy Iyengar, moved to Mysore from
Srirangam
Srirangam, is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first among ...
to work with
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bangalore, India. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the worl ...
. He had one son and three daughters—Ambujavalli, Vedavalli, and Padmavalli. Vedavalli was married to Jayaram, son of Narasimhan Rengachary. The couple Jayaram-Vedvalli had two children: a son Jayakumar and a daughter, Jayalalitha. Her mother, her relatives and later co-stars and friends referred to her as Ammu. The name Jayalalithaa was adopted at the age of one for the purpose of using the name in schools and colleges. It was derived from the names of two houses where she resided in Mysore. One was "Jaya Vilas" and the other "Lalitha Vilas".
She is from the same lineage of popular figures like K. T. Bhashyam (Former minister of
Mysore State
Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a state within the Dominion of India and the later India, Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's c ...
Mysore Legislative Council
The Karnataka Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Karnataka state in South Western India. Karnataka is one of the six states in India, where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses: the Leg ...
) and famous lawyer L. S. Raju who made significant contribution in the history of
Mysore State
Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a state within the Dominion of India and the later India, Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's c ...
(Now
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
).
Jayalalithaa's father, Jayaram, was a lawyer but never worked and squandered most of the family's wealth. He died when Jayalalithaa was two years old. The widowed Vedavalli returned to her father's home in
Bangalore
Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...
in 1950. Vedavalli learnt shorthand and typewriting to take up a clerical position to help support the family in 1950. Her younger sister Ambujavalli had moved to Madras, working as an air hostess. She also started acting in drama and films using the screen name Vidyavathy. On the insistence of Ambujavalli, Jayalalithaa's mother Vedavalli also relocated to Madras and stayed with her sister from 1952. Vedavalli worked in a commercial firm in Madras and began dabbling in acting from 1953 under the screen name Sandhya. Jayalalithaa remained under the care of her mother's sister Padmavalli and maternal grandparents from 1950 to 1958 in Mysore. While still in Bangalore, Jayalalithaa attended Bishop Cotton Girls' School,
Bangalore
Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...
. In later interviews, Jayalalithaa spoke emotionally about how she missed her mother growing up in a different city. She had the opportunity to visit her mother during the summer holidays.
After her aunt Padmavalli's marriage in 1958, Jayalalithaa moved to Madras and began to live with her mother. She completed her education at Sacred Heart Matriculation School (popularly known as Church Park Presentation Convent or Presentation Church Park Convent).
She excelled at school and was offered a government scholarship to pursue further education. She won Gold State Award for coming first in 10th standard in the state of Tamil Nadu. She joined Stella Maris College,
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
; however, discontinued her studies due to pressure from her mother and became a film actress.
The Poes Garden plot was bought by Jayalalithaa and her mother on 1 July 1967 at a cost of ₹ 1.32 lakh, measuring around 24,000 sq. feet (10 grounds) with a built-up area of 21,662 sq. feet. Jayalalithaa's mother Sandhya died in November 1971 at the age of 47. Jayalalithaa herself held the ''house warming ceremony'' of her residence ''Veda Nilayam'' (named after her beloved mother Vedavalli alias Sandhya) on 15 May 1972, early in the morning, followed by
dinner
Dinner usually refers to what is in many Western cultures the largest and most formal meal of the day, which is eaten in the evening. Historically, the largest meal used to be eaten around midday, and called dinner. Especially among the elite ...
and a
Veena
The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( sa, वीणा IAST: vīṇā), comprises various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps ...
recital by classical musician Chitti babu in the evening. Her brother's wedding took place at her Veda Nilayam home in Poes Garden in 1972. Her brother Jayakumar, his wife Vijayalakshmi and their daughter
Deepa Jayakumar
Deepa Jayakumar (born 10 November 1974), also known as J. Deepa, is a former politician and journalist.
Personal life
Deepa was born on 10 November 1974Sasikala's nephew Sudhakaran in 1995 and disowned him in 1996. Her brother died in 1995 of heart attack.
She was fluent in several languages, including
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
,
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
,
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. She spoke with actress Saroja Devi in Kannada regularly as they were close friends and would talk to each other only in Kannada. She often conversed with Karnataka Chief ministers in
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
.
Basavaraj Bommai
Basavaraj Somappa Bommai (born 28 January 1960) is an Indian politician and engineer who is the current and 23rd Chief Minister of Karnataka. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the le ...
, the former irrigation minister and present chief minister of Karnataka said, "I was astonished by her Kannada slang and fluency."
She was fond of having dogs as her pets. But after the death of Julie, a
spitz
Spitz (derived from the German word ''spitz'' 'pointed') is a type of domestic dog characterized by long, thick, and often white fur, and pointed ears and muzzles. The tail often curls over the dog's back or droops. While all of the breeds rese ...
, in 1998 she could not bear the loss and hence discontinued keeping pet dogs at her home.
Film career
Early career
In Madras (now
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
), Jayalalithaa was trained in
Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is ...
, western classical piano and various forms of classical dance, including
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
Mohiniyattam
Mohiniyattam, ( ml, മോഹിനിയാട്ടം), is an Indian classical dance form that developed and remained popular in the state of Kerala. Kathakali is another classical dance form of Kerala. Mohiniyattam dance gets its name fr ...
Kathak
Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...
. She learnt Bharatnatyam and dance forms under K.J.Sarasa. She had also learnt Kuchipudi under Padma Bhushan Guru Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam. She became an accomplished dancer and gave her debut dance performance at the Rasika Ranjani Sabha in Mylapore in May 1960. The Chief Guest at the Arangetram was
Shivaji Ganesan
Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ga ...
, who called her a "" (golden statue) and expressed wish that Jayalalithaa becomes a film star in future.
While a child, Jayalalithaa acted in the Kannada-language film '' Sri Shaila Mahathme'' (1961), which starred Rajkumar and Krishna Kumari. She had been taken to the studio by her mother as she was shooting in the same premises for a different film. While Jayalalithaa was watching the shooting, a problem arose as the child actress playing the
Goddess Parvathy
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...
in a school drama scene in the film failed to show up and the producer Neerlahalli Thalikerappa and director Aroor Pattabhi asked Sandhya if Jayalalithaa could be asked to act in the dance sequence. Sandhya agreed and Jayalalithaa was swiftly dressed up as Parvathy and the scene was shot in Sri Shaila Mahatme.
She played Lord
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
in a three-minute dance sequence held on stage in the Hindi film
Man-Mauji
''Man Mauji'' () is a 1962 Indian Hindi-language film starring Kishore Kumar and Sadhana in lead roles and directed by Krishnan–Panju. It was Jayalalitha's first Hindi film, in which she played Lord Krishna in a 3-minutes dance sequence with ...
(1962) and danced with
Kumari Naaz
Salma Baig (20 August 1944 - 19 October 1995) popularly known as Kumari Naaz or Baby Naaz was an Indian actress in Hindi language films.
Career
She started her career as a child actor in films. Her best remembered role as a child artiste was i ...
who played Radha.
Y. G. Parthasarathy
Yecha Gunja Parthasarathy (born Y G Parthasarathy; 30 September 1917https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-samsung&biw=412&bih=652&tbm=bks&ei=7cf-XPSLFrPAmwW9lZ34BQ&q=Y.+G.+Parthasarathy+30th+September+1917&oq=Y.+G.+Parthasarathy+30th+Sep ...
ran the drama troupe ''United Amateur Artistes'' (UAA), which staged English and Tamil plays. Soon Jayalalithaa while a schoolgirl began acting in some plays of Parthasarathy along with her mother and aunt. She acted in small roles in plays such as Tea House of the August Moon and ''Undersecretary'' between 1960 and 1964.
Shankar Giri, the son of the former Indian PresidentV. V. Giri, saw her small role in the English play ''Tea Houses of August Moon'' and was impressed. Shankar Giri approached her mother Sandhya and told he wanted to cast her daughter in an English film called ''The Epistle''. Sandhya reluctantly agreed with the condition that shooting should be held only during weekends or school holidays.
Sandhya had acted in the 1964 Tamil film '' Karnan'', produced and directed by Kannada film-maker
B. R. Panthulu
Budaguru Ramakrishnaiah Panthulu (26 July 1910 – 8 October 1974) was an Indian film director, producer and actor. He is best known for directing films in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. His most popular films are '' Karnan'', ''Veerapandiya ...
. Jayalalithaa accompanied her mother to a party related to the film and was spotted by Panthulu, who then decided to cast her opposite
Kalyan Kumar
Kalyan Kumar (7 June 1928 – 1 August 1999) was an Indian actor, and an occasional film director and producer who worked primarily in Kannada and Tamil cinema. Making his acting debut in the mythological drama ''Natashekara'' (1954), Kalyan Kuma ...
in the Kannada movie '' Chinnada Gombe''. He promised to finish all shooting within two months in order not to interfere with her education. Since Jayalalithaa would be studying for her PUC in two months' time, Sandhya had declined the offer initially. Sandhya agreed when that promise was made and Jayalalithaa started acting and she was paid . Panthulu kept his promise and completed shooting in six weeks. Jayalalithaa had forgotten all about films after acting in her Kannada debut film and had got ready to attend classes at Stella Maris as she had the ambition to be a lawyer. But the Kannada debut film became a
blockbuster
Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to:
*Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived.
Corporations
* Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain
** Bl ...
in 1964 and she became a well-known face.
Meanwhile, Jayalalithaa continued acting in Parthasarathy's plays. She played the leading role in plays such as ''Malathi'', ''The Whole Truth'', and the dance drama ''Kaveri Thanda Kalaiselvi'' between 1960 and 1966. She made her debut as the lead actress in
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
films while still in school, age 15, in '' Chinnada Gombe'' (1964). She also appeared in a dance sequence of a song named "Malligeya Hoovinantha" in the movie ''
Amarashilpi Jakanachari
Jakanachari was a legendary Indian sculptor credited with building many fine temples for the Kalyani Chalukyas and Hoysalas. He is popularly known by the epithet ''Amarashilpi'' ().
His life
Jakanachari was born in a small village cal ...
'' (1964).
She made her debut in Tamil theatre in April 1964, when she played a sales girl in the drama named ''Undersecretary''. Parthasarathy and Sandhya were the lead characters, while Jayalalitha and Cho Ramaswamy were paired together and A. R. Srinivasan was also involved. The play was based on the lives of middle aged couple and Jayalaithaa played character of sales girl in the drama. Her performance caused Parthasarathy to make her lead heroine in a drama named ''Malathy''. Meanwhile, the films she had shot during her vacation in April–May 1964—''Chinnada Gombe'' and '' Manushulu Mamathalu''—became blockbusters. By end of 1965, she had become popular among film producers and directors. She was approached by C. V. Sridhar for her Tamil film debut as well. Between 1964 and 1966 she did around 35 shows of drama named ''Malathy'' and later discontinued as she became very busy in films. It was during the year 1964, financial debts had increased of Sandhya and she suggested her daughter make use of the increasing film offers to come her way.
Jayalalithaa's debut in Tamil cinema was the leading role in '' Vennira Aadai'' (1965), directed by C. V. Sridhar. She made her debut in Telugu films as lead actress in ''Manushulu Mamathalu'' opposite Akkineni Nageswara Rao. Her last Telugu release was also opposite
Akkineni Nageswara Rao
Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1923 – 22 January 2014), widely known as ANR, was an Indian actor and producer, known for his works majorly in Telugu cinema. He starred in many landmark films in his seventy five-year career, and became on ...
in the film '' Nayakudu Vinayakudu'', which was released in 1980. She was the first heroine to appear in
skirt
A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards.
At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts ar ...
s in Tamil films. She acted in one Hindi film called '' Izzat'', with
Dharmendra
Dharam Singh Deol (born 8 December 1935), also known Mononymous person, mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer and politician who is known for his work in Hindi films. Known as the first "He-Man" of Bollywood, Dharmendra has w ...
as her male costar in 1968. She starred in 28 box-office hit films with M.G. Ramachandran between 1965 and 1973. The first with M.G.R. was B.R. Panthalu's '' Aayirathil Oruvan'' in 1965 and their last film together was '' Pattikaattu Ponnaiya'' in 1973.
Jayalalithaa donated gold jewelleries she had to the then
Indian Prime Minister
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri (; 2 October 1904 – 11 January 1966) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 2nd Prime Minister of India from 1964 to 1966 and 6th Home Minister of India from 1961 to 1963. He promoted the White Re ...
during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
She had 11 successful releases in Tamil in 1966. In the opening credits of '' Arasa Kattalai'', for the first time her name was affixed with the phrase "". In 1967 she bought her bungalow, Veda Nilayam, in Poes Gardens for .
Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar was on the lookout for a regular heroine for his production after he had fight with the actress Savitri after the release of ''Vetaikkaran'', and he signed Jayalalithaa on in 1965. She became a regular heroine for production house Devar films from 1966.
Jaishankar
Jaishankar (12 July 1938 – 3 June 2000) was an Indian actor known for his work in Tamil cinema. He was a very popular lead actor in the 1960s and 70s. He was credited onscreen with title of ''Makkal Kalaingnar'' (people's artiste) or '' ...
was romantically paired with Jayalalithaa in eight Tamil films including ''
Muthu Chippi
''Muthu Chippi'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by M. Krishnan and produced by P. L. Mohan Ram. The film stars Jaishankar, Jayalalithaa and Nagesh. The film had musical score by S. M. Subbaiah Naidu. The film was released on ...
Vairam
''Vairam'' () is a 1974 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language Action film, action spy film directed by T. R. Ramanna and written by T. K. Balu. The film stars Jaishankar and J. Jayalalithaa, Jayalalithaa, with M. R. R. Vasu, S. A. Ashokan and R. ...
Raja Veetu Pillai
''Raja Veetu Pillai'' () is a 1967 Indian Tamil-language thriller film directed by Dada Mirasi and written by M. K. Santharam. It stars Jaishankar and Jayalalithaa. The music was provided by T. K. Ramamoorthy. It was a successful film on its rel ...
N. T. Rama Rao
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as List of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh fo ...
Niluvu Dopidi
''Niluvu Dopidi'' () is a 1968 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film, produced by U. Visweswara Rao and directed by C. S. Rao. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Krishna, Devika and Jayalalita, with music composed by K. V. Mahadevan. The film wa ...
Sri Krishna Vijayamu
''Sri Krishna Vijayamu'' () is a 1971 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language Hindu mythological film produced by M. S. Reddy under the Kaumudi Art Pictures banner and directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. It stars N. T. Rama Rao and Jayalalith ...
Akkineni Nageswara Rao
Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1923 – 22 January 2014), widely known as ANR, was an Indian actor and producer, known for his works majorly in Telugu cinema. He starred in many landmark films in his seventy five-year career, and became on ...
Bharya Biddalu
''Bharya Biddalu'' () is a 1972 Indian Telugu-language drama film, produced by A. V. Subba Rao under the Prasad Art Productions banner and directed by T. Rama Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Jayalalithaa, with music composed by K. V ...
'' (1972), '' Premalu Pellillu'' (1974) and '' Nayakudu Vinayakudu'' (1980).
She also made a guest appearance in Telugu film '' Navarthi'' (1966). Her films in Telugu also included two with
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
and one each with
Sobhan Babu
Sobhan Babu (born Uppu Sobhana Chalapathi Rao; 14 January 1937 – 20 March 2008) was an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema.Bangaru Panjaram in Venditera Paatalu, Krishnasastri Sahityam, third volume, Vishalandhra Publishing House ...
,
Jaggayya
Kongara Jaggayya (31 December 1928 – 5 March 2004) was an Indian actor, littérateur, journalist, lyricist, dubbing artist and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He was known as ''Kanchu Kantham J ...
, Ramakrishna and Haranath. She was given on-screen credit as Kalai Selvi in most of her Tamil films since 1967.
Later career
Between 1965 and 1973, Jayalalithaa starred opposite
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...
Adimai Penn
''Adimai Penn'' () is a 1969 Indian Tamil-language action adventure film directed by K. Shankar and produced by M. G. Ramachandran and R. M. Veerappan. The film stars Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, with Ashokan, Pandari Bai, Rajasree, Manohar, ...
Ragasiya Police 115
''Ragasiya Police 115'' () is a 1968 Tamil-language spy film, directed by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) and J. Jayalalithaa, supported by M. N. Nambiar, S. A. Ashokan and Nagesh. It was released on 11 January 1968, an ...
Ravichandran Ravichandran is an Indian name. Notable people with the name include:
* Ravichandran (Tamil actor) (1942–2011)
* Ravichandran (Tamil film director) (born 1971)
* N. Ravichandran (professor) (1955), professor at IIM Ahmedabad
* N. Ravichandran, ...
in ten films—''Gowri Kalyanam ''(1966), '' Kumari Penn'' (1966), ''
Naan
Naan ( fa, نان, nān, ur, , ps, نان, ug, نان, hi, नान, bn, নান) is a leavened, oven-baked or tawa-fried flatbread which is found in the cuisines mainly of Western Asia, Central Asia, Indian subcontinent, Indonesia, ...
Maadi Veettu Mappilai
''Maadi Veettu Mappillai'' () is a 1967 Indian Tamil-language comedy film, directed by S. K. A. Chari. A remake of the Telugu film ''Illarikam'' (1959), it stars Ravichandran and Jayalalithaa, with Nagesh, Rama Prabha, V. K. Ramasamy, Balaj ...
'' (1967), ''
Panakkara Pillai
''Panakkara Pillai'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language film. It stars Jayalalithaa opposite Ravichandran. The supporting cast included Nagesh, S. N. Lakshmi and M. N. Nambiar. The story was written by Mahendran. The film has Ravichandran in a ...
Andru Kanda Mugam
''Andru Kanda Mugam'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language thriller film, directed and produced by G. Ramakrishnan. Music was by K. V. Mahadevan. The film stars Ravichandran and Jayalalithaa, with S. A. Ashokan, Nagesh, Manorama, V. K. Ramasam ...
Sivaji Ganesan
Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ga ...
in ''
Pattikada Pattanama
''Pattikada Pattanama'' () is a 1972 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film produced and directed by P. Madhavan and written by Bala Murugan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa. The film deals with Kalpana, an urban woman who m ...
'', which went on to win the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
The Indian Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several aw ...
in 1973.
In 1973, she acted in '' Sri Krishna Satya'', which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in Telugu.TOI 1984, p. 305 Her other films with Sivaji Ganesan include '' Galatta Kalyanam'' and '' Deiva Magan''; the latter holds the distinction of being the first Tamil film to be submitted by India for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Jayalalithaa was paired opposite
Sivaji Ganesan
Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ga ...
Anbu Thangai
''Anbu Thangai'' () is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by S. P. Muthuraman, starring Muthuraman and Jayalalithaa. Jaya appears as Muthuraman's sister and Jayalalithaa as his love interest. Srikanth played an important role as Mut ...
'' and Muthuraman played supporting roles in ''
Kannan En Kadhalan
''Kannan En Kadhalan'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by P. Neelakantan, produced and written by R. M. Veerappan, starring M. G. Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa and Vanisri. It was released on 25 April 1968.
Plot
Kannan is th ...
Naan
Naan ( fa, نان, nān, ur, , ps, نان, ug, نان, hi, नान, bn, নান) is a leavened, oven-baked or tawa-fried flatbread which is found in the cuisines mainly of Western Asia, Central Asia, Indian subcontinent, Indonesia, ...
Adi Parashakti
Mahadevi ( sa, महादेवी, ), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, Adi Shakti, and Abhaya Shakti, is the supreme goddess in the Shaktism sect of Hinduism. According to this tradition, all Hindu goddesses are considered to be manifesta ...
Oru Thaai Makkal
''Oru Thai Makkal'' () is a 1971 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy drama film, directed by P. Neelakantan, starring M. G. Ramachandran, with M. N. Nambiar, Jayalalithaa and R. Muthuraman. It is a remake of the 1964 Hindi film ''Ayee Milan ...
''. She made her debut in Malayalam with ''
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
'' (1973). Her 100th film was '' Thirumangalyam'' (1974), directed by A. Vincent.
She was romantically paired opposite Sivakumar in '' Kandan Karunai'' and '' Sri Krishna Leela''. Sivakumar played supporting roles in Shakti Leelai, Yarrukum Vetkam Ilali, Thirumangalyam, Annaivelakanni, Kavalkaran, Motoram Sunderapillai and Ganga Gowri.
In 1972, Jayalalithaa was invited to perform with her dance troupe in
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
for the
Dussehra
Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu ...
exhibition. Due to her busy shooting schedule and health reasons, Jayalalithaa had to cancel the performance at the last minute. Vatal Nagaraj's Karnataka-based political outfit condemned her for cancelling her dance performance in spite of being a
Kannadiga
The Kannada people or Kannadigaru IAST">nowiki/>IAST:_Kannadadavaru_or_Kannadigas_(English_term).html" ;"title="IAST.html" ;"title="nowiki/>IAST">nowiki/>IAST: Kannadadavaru or Kannadigas (English term)">IAST.html" ;"title="nowiki/>IAST">nowik ...
girl. Jayalalithaa responded by issuing a statement contradicting him in an interview to Vikatan magazine that she was a
Tamilian
The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Dravi ...
and not a Kannadiga. Jayalalithaa was at Premier studio in Mysuru for the shooting of the
B. R. Panthulu
Budaguru Ramakrishnaiah Panthulu (26 July 1910 – 8 October 1974) was an Indian film director, producer and actor. He is best known for directing films in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. His most popular films are '' Karnan'', ''Veerapandiya ...
's film '' Ganga Gowri''. The group of Kannada activists from Vatal Nagaraj's outfit got to know of this and invaded the studio premises. The mob surrounded Jayalalithaa and demanded that she withdraw her statement of being a ''Tamil'' woman. Jayalalithaa was defiant even when mob had encircled her. “I am a ''Tamil'' girl, not a ''Kannada'' girl,” Jayalalithaa responded loudly in Tamil, refusing to bow even as protestors gathered around her.
The heroes of her films never objected to the title of the film being conferred on the female lead played by Jayalalithaa. ''
Adimai Penn
''Adimai Penn'' () is a 1969 Indian Tamil-language action adventure film directed by K. Shankar and produced by M. G. Ramachandran and R. M. Veerappan. The film stars Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, with Ashokan, Pandari Bai, Rajasree, Manohar, ...
Kannan En Kadhalan
''Kannan En Kadhalan'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by P. Neelakantan, produced and written by R. M. Veerappan, starring M. G. Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa and Vanisri. It was released on 25 April 1968.
Plot
Kannan is th ...
'' had Ramachandran as the lead male hero but the story and the title was built around the character played by Jayalalithaa. Similarly, ''Engerindo Vandhaal'', '' Sumathi En Sundari'',
Paadhukaappu
''Paadhukaappu'' () is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by A. Bhimsingh and produced by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars in the main role Sivaji Ganesan, alongside Jayalalithaa, T. S. Balaiah and Major Sundarrajan in lead roles. The film ...
and '' Anbai Thedi'' had Sivaji Ganeshan as the male lead but the title and the story was built around her character. She did many female-centric films where the story revolved on her character, such as ''Vennira Adai'', '' Yaar Nee?'', '' Kumari Penn'', '' Nee'', '' Gowri Kalyanam, Magaraasi,
Muthu Chippi
''Muthu Chippi'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by M. Krishnan and produced by P. L. Mohan Ram. The film stars Jaishankar, Jayalalithaa and Nagesh. The film had musical score by S. M. Subbaiah Naidu. The film was released on ...
Annamitta Kai
''Annamitta Kai'' () is a 1972 Indian Tamil-language film written by G. Subramanium and directed by M. Krishnan Nair, starring M. G. Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa and Bharathi. It was produced by Ramachandra Productions, owned by M. S. Sivaswamy ...
Chief Minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
Karunanidhi and also won Tamil Nadu Cinema Fan Award for Best Actress for her 100th film '' Thirumangalyam'' in 1974. Her last film in Tamil was '' Nadhiyai Thedi Vandha Kadal'' (1980). Her last film as the heroine was '' Nayakudu Vinayakudu'' in Telugu, which became the highest grosser of the year in Telugu.
Her successful Kannada films include '' Badukuva Daari'' (1966), ''
Mavana Magalu
''Mavana Magalu'' is a 1965 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by S. K. A. Chari and produced by A. V. Subba Rao. The film stars Jayalalitha, Kalyan Kumar, K. S. Ashwath and T. N. Balakrishna. The film has musical score by T. Chalapathi Ra ...
'' (1965), ''
Nanna Kartavya
''Nanna Karthavya'' () is a 1965 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Vedantam Raghavayya and produced by K. S. Sathyanarayan and R. Sundaram. The film stars J. Jayalalithaa, Kalyan Kumar, R. Nagendra Rao and Sandhya. The film has musical ...
Mane Aliya
''Mane Aliya'' is a 1964 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by S. K. A. Chari and produced by A. V. Subba Rao. The film stars Kalyan Kumar, Jayalalitha, K. S. Ashwath and Balakrishna in the lead roles. The film has musical score by T. Ch ...
'' (1964). Jayalalithaa holds the record for having been the Tamil actress with maximum silver jubilee hits in her career—85 hits of 92 Tamil films as main female lead heroine and she also has all 28 films in Telugu as silver jubilee hits. behindwoods.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016. She was the highest-paid Indian actress from 1965 to 1980. She made guest appearances in nine films and six of her films were dubbed into Hindi. She had 119 box office hits between 1961 and 1980, of the total 125 films she did as the main female lead. She made a brief appearance in 1992's '' Neenga Nalla Irukkanum''.
She acted in mythological films like ''Kandan Karunai'', ''Aadhi Parashakti'', ''Shri Krishna Satya'', ''Shri Krishna Vijayam'', ''Shri Rama Katha'', ''Shri Krishna Leela'', ''Shakti Leelai'', ''Ganga Gowri'', ''
Annai Velankanni
''Annai Velankanni'' () is 1971 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by K. Thangappan. The film stars Gemini Ganesan, Jayalalithaa, Padmini and K. R. Vijaya. Kamal Haasan briefly appears in an uncredited role as Jesus Christ. It comprises ...
'' and ''Jesus''. Her period dramas include ''Ayirathil Oruvan'', '' Neerum Neruppum'', '' Mani Magudam'', ''Adimai Penn'', ''Ali Baba 40 Dongalu'', ''Arasa Katalai'', and ''Baghdad Perazhagi''.
She acquired the reputation of being a multi-faceted actor equally comfortable in fantasy and mythological genres as well as in modern social dramas and hence in 1969, in Tamil Conference, she was given the tag of "Kaveri Thandha Kalai Selvi".
She, Savitri and
Saroja Devi
Bangalore Saroja Devi (born 7 January 1938) is an Indian actress who has acted in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. She acted in around 200 films in over six decades. She is known by the epithets "''Abhinaya Saraswathi''" (Saraswathi of ac ...
have been cited as the first female superstars of Tamil cinema. She did double roles in eight films.
She received Special Award from Filmfare for her performances in 'Chandhrodhayam', 'Adimai Penn' and 'Engirundho Vandhaal' in the years 1966, 1969 and 1970 as the
Filmfare Award for Best Actress
The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise the female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954 ...
was introduced only in 1972. Her performance in ''
Pattikada Pattanama
''Pattikada Pattanama'' () is a 1972 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film produced and directed by P. Madhavan and written by Bala Murugan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa. The film deals with Kalpana, an urban woman who m ...
'', ''Suryagandhi'' were critically acclaimed and won her consecutive
Filmfare Award for Best Actress
The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise the female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954 ...
in 1972 and 1973, respectively.
From 1968 to 1973, at the peak of her career she took interviews and wrote columns in the magazines like ''Bommai''. She wrote a column-"Ennangal Sila" in magazine ''
Thuglak
)
, logo =Thuglak.jpg
, image =
, image_size = 150px
, image_caption = ''Thuglak'' ( ta, துக்ளக்)
, editor = Swaminathan Gurumurthy
, editor_title = Editor
, previous_editor = Cho Ramaswamy
, staff_writer =
, frequency = ...
'' in the 1970s. She also wrote a short story, "Oravin Kaidhigal", for the magazine ''
Kalki
Kalki ( sa, कल्कि), also called Kalkin or Karki, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of exist ...
'', "Manadhai Thotta Malargal" for ''Thaai'' magazine in the early 1980s. She wrote about her own life in a serialised memoir in the Tamil weekly magazine ''
Kumudam
''Kumudam'' is a Tamil weekly magazine published in Chennai, India. It was founded in 1948 by S.A.P. Annamalai, and his close friend and confidante P.V. Parthasarathy. Now the magazine is published under the Kumudam Group, which also publishes ...
''.
In 1980, she decided to voluntarily decline any new film offers. An Australia-based journalist Brian Laul took over the mantle of Piousji ('Khaas Bhat'- The filmi gossip column) wrote an article specifying Jayalalithaa was trying for a comeback but was not being offered any roles. Jayalalithaa chose to respond to him by writing a letter, in which she mentioned that she was not struggling to make any comeback and that she turned down the offer from producer Balaji to star in '' Billa'' (1980) alongside Rajinikanth. She added she wanted to pursue other interests and was not interested in pursuing her film career any further.
Her closest friends from film industry included Manorama, Cho Ramaswamy, Rajasree, Jamuna,
Saroja Devi
Bangalore Saroja Devi (born 7 January 1938) is an Indian actress who has acted in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. She acted in around 200 films in over six decades. She is known by the epithets "''Abhinaya Saraswathi''" (Saraswathi of ac ...
Sowcar Janaki
Sankaramanchi Janaki (born T. Janaki; 12 December 1931), popularly known as Sowcar Janaki (Tamil) or Shavukaru Janaki (Telugu) or Sahukar Janaki (Kannada), is an Indian actress who has appeared in over 300, films, predominantly in Tamil, Tel ...
Ravichandran Ravichandran is an Indian name. Notable people with the name include:
* Ravichandran (Tamil actor) (1942–2011)
* Ravichandran (Tamil film director) (born 1971)
* N. Ravichandran (professor) (1955), professor at IIM Ahmedabad
* N. Ravichandran, ...
Nagesh
Nagesh (born Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran; (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) was an Indian actor, mostly remembered for his roles as a comedian in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in over 1,000 fil ...
Vennira Aadai Nirmala
Vennira Aadai Nirmala (born as A. B. Shanthi in Kumbakonam) is an Indian actress who has appeared in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. She was a prominent lead actress from 1960s and 70s. She is credited as Ushakumari in Malayalam film indust ...
,
S. A. Asokan
S. A. Ashokan, born as Antony and often spelled Asokan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema and theatre. He was popular mainly for playing negative roles but was also a successful character actor.
Early life
Ashokan was bo ...
,
Jaishankar
Jaishankar (12 July 1938 – 3 June 2000) was an Indian actor known for his work in Tamil cinema. He was a very popular lead actor in the 1960s and 70s. He was credited onscreen with title of ''Makkal Kalaingnar'' (people's artiste) or '' ...
P. Susheela
Pulapaka Susheela (born 13 November 1935), popularly known as P. Susheela, is an Indian playback singer associated with the South Indian cinema primarily from Andhra Pradesh for over six decades. She is one of the greatest and best-known playba ...
,
Sheela
Sheela Ravichandran (Born 22 March 1945) is an Indian actress and director who appears predominantly in Malayalam cinema. Paired with Prem Nazir, they hold the Guinness World Record for acting in the largest number of films (130) together as he ...
, M. S. Viswanathan, L. R. Eswari, R.S.Manohar.
She quoted on M. G. Ramachandran, "He was a very warm and caring kind of a person. And after Mother died, he replaced her in my life. He was everything to me. He was mother, father, brother, friend, philosopher, guide. Everything. He sort of took over my life." In many of her interviews she often said she entered films on being asked by her mother and entered politics on request by M. G. Ramachandran.
Political career
Early political career
Jayalalithaa denied claims that M.G.R., who had been chief minister for the state since 1977, was instrumental in introducing her to politics. On 4 June 1982, she joined the AIADMK, which was founded by M.G.R. Her maiden public speech,"" (The Greatness of a Woman), was delivered at the AIADMK's political conference in the same year at
Cuddalore
Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is the city and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important port during the British Raj.
While the early history of Cudda ...
and was well received. Even the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Rajya Sabha member
Khushwant Singh
Khushwant Singh (born Khushal Singh, 2 February 1915 – 20 March 2014) was an Indian author, lawyer, diplomat, journalist and politician. His experience in the 1947 Partition of India inspired him to write ''Train to Pakistan'' in 1956 (made ...
came to witness her speech which was widely acclaimed for its clarity of diction and elegant prose. Her seat number in
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
was 185, which was coincidentally the same as that of what
C. N. Annadurai
Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai (15 September 1909 – 3 February 1969), popularly known as Anna also known as Arignar Anna or Perarignar Anna (''Anna, the scholar'' or ''Elder Brother''), was an Indian Tamil politician who served as the fo ...
had while he was a member in the Rajya Sabha. On 28 January 1983, she became propaganda secretary for the party and campaigned extensively for the party candidate R. Amirtharaj in the by-election for the Tiruchendur Assembly constituency in February that year.
M.G.R. wanted her to be a member of the Rajya Sabha because of her fluency in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. Indira Gandhi lauded Jayalalithaa for the various speeches she made on issues including the one on internal security in Rajya Sabha. Jayalalithaa was elected to that body in 1984 and retained her seat until 1989. Jayalalithaa was one of the 16 special guests who were invited to participate the
state dinner
A state banquet is an official banquet hosted by the head of state in his or her official residence for another head of state, or sometimes head of government, and other guests. Usually as part of a state visit or diplomatic conference, it is h ...
hosted by then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in honor of Erstwhile
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Rashtrapati Bhavan
The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, rāsh-truh-puh-ti bha-vun; ; originally Viceroy's House and later Government House) is the official residence of the President of India at the western end of Rajpath, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India. Rashtrapati Bh ...
. Her success in her role as propaganda secretary caused resentment among high-ranking members of the party. By engineering a rift between her and M.G.R., these members influenced M.G.R. to stop her writing about her personal life in a Tamil magazine. Despite these machinations, she remained admired by the rank and file of the party. She was given key responsibilities, including in the implementation of the landmark noon-meals scheme when M. G. Ramachandran was the chief minister and this taught her lessons in welfare politics. Later when M.G.R. fell ill, she campaigned extensively for the party before the
1984 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
The eighth legislative assembly election for Tamil Nadu was held on 24 December 1984. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) won the election and its general secretary, incumbent M. G. Ramachandran (M.G.R) was sworn in as Chief Minis ...
.
In 1984, when M.G.R. was incapacitated due to a stroke, Jayalalithaa was said to have attempted to take over the position of
chief minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
or the party on the pretext that his health would prevent him from the proper execution of his duties. She successfully led the campaign in the 1984 general elections, in which the AIADMK allied with the
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
. On the midnight of 31 December 1984, When MGR was in United States, Jayalalithaa was unceremoniously turned out of Tamil Nadu House, which was her official residence as a
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
M.P. by the coterie against her. Following his death in 1987, the AIADMK split into two factions: one supported his widow, Janaki Ramachandran This faction was called AIADMK (JA) and the other favoured Jayalalithaa called AIADMK (J). Jayalalithaa faction was supported by senior leaders like V. R. Nedunchezhiyan, Aranganayagam, KKSSR Ramachandran, Thirunavukarasar. Janaki was selected as the Chief Minister on 7 January 1988 with the support of 96 members; due in part to irregularities by speaker P. H. Pandian, who dismissed six members to ease her victory, she won a motion of confidence in the house. However, Rajiv Gandhi used Article 356 of the
Constitution of India
The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ...
to dismiss the Janaki-led government and impose president's rule on the state.
At the age of 41, Jayalalithaa entered the Assembly successfully contesting the subsequent 1989 elections on the basis of being M.G.R.'s political heir.
Leader of the Opposition, 1989
She was elected to the
Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a strength of 234 members of whom are democratically elected using the First-past-the-post system. The presiding officer of the Assembl ...
in
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
as a representative of the
Bodinayakkanur
Bodinayakanur (also shortened to Bodi) is a Town and a municipality in Theni district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
Etymology
In early days, it was called by the name Thenkasiyampathi (Tamil: தென்காசியம்பதி). ...
constituency. This election saw the Jayalalithaa-led faction of the AIADMK win 27 seats and Jayalalithaa became the first woman to be elected Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. She is the first Indian actress and first woman to become an opposition leader in India. On 9 February 1989, the two factions of AIADMK merged and they unanimously accepted Jayalalithaa as the general secretary of the party and the "Two leaves" symbol of the party was restored.
On 25 March 1989, as claimed by the party and a section of the members present in the assembly, amidst heavy violence inside the house among the ruling DMK party members and the opposition, Jayalalithaa was attacked by the ruling DMK members in front of the assembly speaker M. Tamilkudimagan when violence broke out between DMK and AIADMK MLA's after she called Karunanidhi a criminal and when he named and shamed her. Karunanidhi fell on the floor when one of her MLAs rushed towards him.Both Karunanidhi and Jayalaithaa alleged of attacks against them. Jayalalitha left the Assembly with her torn saree drawing a parallel with the shameful disrobing of Draupadi in the epic
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
. At the peak of the situation, Jayalalithaa was about to leave the house, she vowed to not enter the house "until as a
Chief Minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
". In spite of some sections of media terming it as a theatrics, it received a lot of media coverage and sympathy from the public.Vaasanthi 2008, pp. 86–88 During the 1989 general elections, the AIADMK allied with the Congress party and was handed a significant victory. The AIADMK, under her leadership, also won the by-elections in Marungapuri, Madurai East and Peranamallur assembly constituencies.
First term as Chief Minister, 1991
In 1991, following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi days before the elections, her alliance with the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
enabled her to ride the wave of sympathy that gave the coalition victory.Ramaswamy 2007, p. xxxiv The AIADMK alliance with the Congress won 225 out of the 234 seats contested and won all 39 constituencies in the centre. Re-elected to the assembly, she became the state's youngest chief minister, and the first woman to serve a full term, serving from 24 June 1991 to 12 May 1996. In 1992, her government introduced the "Cradle Baby Scheme". At that time the ratio of male to female in some parts of Tamil Nadu was skewed by the practice of
female infanticide
Female infanticide is the deliberate killing of newborn female children. In countries with a history of female infanticide, the modern practice of gender-selective abortion is often discussed as a closely related issue. Female infanticide is a m ...
and the abortion of female foetuses. The government established centres in some areas, these being equipped to receive and place into adoption unwanted female babies. The scheme was extended in 2011. Her party had 226 elected members to the assembly. Her government was the first to introduce police stations operated solely by women. She introduced 30% quota for women in all police jobs and established as many as 57 all-women police stations. There were other all-women establishments like libraries, stores, banks and co-operative elections. She began to be referred as Thanga Gopuram'','' ''Thanga Silai'' ('Golden Statue') by her followers.
In July 1993, she observed fast for 80 hours (four days) near the
MGR Memorial
M.G.R Memorial Complex is a memorial complex built on the Marina beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Spread over 8.25 acres, the memorial is located adjacent to the Anna Memorial. It was built in memory of former chief ministers of Tamil Nadu ...
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
release
Kaveri
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka, Brahmagiri range in th ...
water for the
kuruvai
Kuruvai, also known as "short-term" in Tamil, are the crops grown in cauvery Delta of Tamil Nadu state in India. The crops that are grown in this delta are mostly paddy and the health of these crops and the eventual livelihood of these farmers a ...
crop. She ended her fast only after Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao sent his Cabinet colleague and Union Water Resources Minister V.C. Shukla to Chennai to assure her that the centre would set up two committees to ensure implementation of the 1991-interim award of the
Tribunal
A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title.
For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...
.
Reservations
In 1992, The Supreme Court Verdict which ruled that the overall amount of reservations allowed should not exceed 50% as per Article 16(4) endangered the 69 Percent Reservation in Tamil Nadu.
In 1993, the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes Bill, 1993 was passed by the Assembly (Act 45 of 1994). The Bill was sent to the President
Shankar Dayal Sharma
Shankar Dayal Sharma (; 19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999) was an Indian lawyer and politician from the state of Madhya Pradesh who served as the ninth President of India, from 1992 to 1997.
Born in Bhopal, Sharma studied at Agra, Allahaba ...
for his approval. J Jayalalithaa's
AIADMK
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief m ...
government led a cross-party committee of Tamil Nadu politicians to Delhi to meet with the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Central government
A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or dele ...
and stepped up pressure on the centre to bring in a Constitutional amendment to include the Tamil Nadu Act in the Ninth Schedule, ensuring that its validity cannot be challenged in any court. By the end of August 1994, the Act became a part of the Ninth Schedule by the presidential accent, confirming "the 69 percent reservation" exclusive for Tamil Nadu. The development fetched her the title of "" (The leader who upheld
Social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...
Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam is a social movement founded by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, also called Thanthai Periyar. Its original goals were to eradicate the ills of the existing caste system including untouchability and on a grander scale to obtain a " ...
.
On 20 January 1994,
Mother Teresa
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...
Called on Chief Minister Jayalalithaa at her poes garden residence in chennai and lauded her welfare projects for girls, destitute women and the aged. Mother Teresa reportedly said that she and Jayalalithaa, India's then only female chief minister, were "working for and fulfilling the same noble cause". Mother Teresa said she would pray daily for Jayalalithaa, whose projects included the Cradle Baby Scheme (CBS) Mother Teresa was also present at the State function on the International Women's Day On 9 March 1994 at Madras which Jayalalithaa later recalled as "memorable event in my life".
She first invited
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
to establish business in Tamil Nadu in 1995. This was followed by numerous companies setting up factories here especially from automobiles sector which included
Hyundai Motor
Hyundai Motor Company, often abbreviated to Hyundai Motors ( )
and commonly known as Hyundai (, ; ), is a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and founded in 1967. Currently, the company o ...
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...
Wright
Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...
and
Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...
. Due to this, Madras (now
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
) began to be called as the
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
of India under her first term. Royal Enfield made significant expansion in Tamil Nadu and apart from Ashok Leyland, TAFE and
TVS Motors
TVS Motor Company (commonly known as TVS) is an Indian multinational motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the third largest motorcycle company in India with a revenue of over in 2018–19. The company has ...
became key players in Tamil Nadu.
Loss of power, 1996
The Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK lost power in the 1996 elections, when it won 4 of the 168 seats that they contested. Jayalalithaa was herself defeated by the DMK candidate in
Bargur
Bargur is a selection-grade town panchayat in the Krishnagiri district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, that serves as the headquarters of Bargur taluk, one of the seven taluks in Krishnagiri district.
History
The town panchayat of Bargur was ...
constituency. The outcome has been attributed to an
anti-incumbency Anti-incumbency is sentiment in favor of voting out incumbent politicians. It is sometimes referred to as a "throw the bums out" sentiment. Periods of anti-incumbent sentiment are typically characterized by wave elections. This sentiment can also le ...
sentiment and several allegations of corruption and malfeasance against her and her ministers. The wedding event of her foster son Sudhakaran, who married a granddaughter of the Tamil film actor
Shivaji Ganesan
Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ga ...
, was held on 7 September 1995 at Madras and was viewed on large screens by over 150,000 people. The event holds two
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
: one is for the most guests at a wedding and the other is for being the largest wedding banquet. Subsequently, in November 2011, Jayalalithaa told a special court than the entire expenses associated with the wedding were paid by the family of the bride.
Her fortunes revived in the 1998 general election, as the AIADMK became a key component of then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 1998–99 government; her withdrawal of support toppled it and triggered another general election just a year later.
There were several corruption cases filed against her by the ruling DMK government headed by Karunanidhi. Jayalalithaa was arrested on 7 December 1996 and was remanded to 30-day judicial custody in connection with the Colour TV scam, which charged her with receiving kickbacks to the tune of . The investigation alleged that the amount through the TV dealers were routed in the form of cheques to a relative of Sasikala, who had quoted Jayalalithaa's residence as hers. She earlier filed an anticipatory bail in the trial court, which was rejected on 7 December 1996. She was acquitted in the case on 30 May 2000 by the trial court and the High Court upheld the order of the lower court.
Though Sudhakaran was adopted by Jayalalithaa as her foster son in 1995, when she became aware that Sudhakaran began to interfere in her financial affairs and that he took money without intending to repay, she disowned him in 1996 within one year of adoption.
When questioned on her views on Sasikala, Jayalalithaa quoted in 1996 "Sasikala never functioned as extra constitutional power centre. Calling her de facto chief minister is nonsense. She is not interested in politics and I have no intention to bring her into politics." It annoyed her when people said Sasikala was behind many of her political decisions and termed such news as rubbish and insult to her position as chief minister.
Second term as Chief Minister, 2001
Jayalalithaa was barred from standing as a candidate in the 2001 elections because she was found guilty of criminal offences, including allegedly obtaining property belonging to a state-operated agency called TANSI. Although she appealed to the Supreme Court of India, having been sentenced to five years' imprisonment, the matter was not resolved at the time of the elections. Despite this, the AIADMK won a majority and she was installed as Chief Minister as a non-elected member of the state assembly on 14 May 2001. She was also convicted in Pleasant Stay hotel case on 3 February 2000 by a trial court to one-year imprisonment. Jayalalithaa was acquitted in both the TANSI and Pleasant Stay Hotel cases on 4 December 2001 and the Supreme Court upheld the order of the High Court on 24 November 2003.
The AIADMK returned to power in 2001, although Jayalalithaa was personally disbarred from contesting due to the corruption cases. Within a few months of her taking oath as chief minister, in September 2001, she was disqualified from holding office, and forced to cede the chair to aide O. Panneerselvam.
Third term as Chief Minister, 2002
Upon her acquittal six months later, Jayalalithaa returned as chief minister to complete her term. Noted for its ruthlessness to political opponents, many of whom were arrested in midnight raids, her government grew unpopular. Her appointment was legally voided in September 2001 when the Supreme Court ruled that she could not hold it whilst convicted of criminal acts.O. Panneerselvam, a minister in her party, was subsequently installed as the Chief Minister. However, his government was purported to have been puppeted and micro-managed by Jayalalithaa.
Subsequently, in March 2002, Jayalalithaa assumed the position of Chief Minister once more, having been acquitted of some charges by the Madras High Court. This cleared the way for her to contest a mid-term poll to the
Andipatti
Andipatti or Aundipatty is a municipal body in Theni district in Madurai Region of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. It is on the bank of Vaigai River with rich flora and fauna species. It is a valley surrounded by mountains and there is a ...
constituency, after the sitting MLA(Member of the Legislative Assembly) for the seat, gave up his membership, which she won by a handsome margin.
India's first company of female police commandos was set up in Tamil Nadu in 2003. They underwent the same training as their male counterparts, covering the handling of weapons, detection and disposal of bombs, driving, horseriding, and adventure sports. The government led by her in 2003 banned sale of all lotteries, including online, within the territory of the state, despite the risk of the state losing revenue. She gave orders to a special task force headed by K. Vijaykumar to conduct a secret operation to capture and kill the bandit
Veerappan
Koose Munisamy Veerappan (18 January 1952 – 18 October 2004) was an Indian bandit turned domestic terrorist who was active for 36 years, and kidnapped major politicians for ransom. He was charged with sandalwood smuggling and poaching o ...
by entering Karnataka. In 2004 she declared eliminating Veerappan as biggest achievement of her government and quoted ""My only brief to them was capture Veerappan dead or alive. After that I never interfered. I left them to work out their own strategies and this paid off." She began to be referred as 'People's CM' (Makallin Mudhalvar) and Iron Lady of India by end of this term. In this term she launched Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) scheme in 2001 to rejuvenate water sources and this improved ground water levels in the parched southern state and this idea was replicated by various states and even by the centre. She also started the Veeranam project to deliver water to the dry metropolis of Chennai. Doctor Manmohan Singh frequently praised Jayalalithaa for her administrative skills, mid-day meal schemes and efforts for gender empowerment.
Her administrative abilities were notable in her handling of events following the tsunami that hit Tamil Nadu on 26 December 2004. Jayalalithaa announced a Rs 153.37 crore relief package, divided into a general package and a separate one for fishermen. She announced that affected families would get Rs 1 lakh as compensation for every member lost, along with one dhoti, one sari, two bedsheets, 60 kg of rice, three litres of kerosene, and Rs 1,000 in cash for groceries and that furthermore, Rs 1,000 was to be given for purchase of utensils, Rs 2,000 so they could put up accommodation. Per family, and there were about one lakh families in all, the package would cost about Rs 5,000. The fishermen also received an extra Rs 65 crore meant to cover gill nets and boats. It was only a matter of hours before Nagapattinam had its power supply back. With the state working on disaster management for over seven years, response time had been reduced significantly; mobile cranes and ambulances were on patrol. The government entrusted district administration with rehabilitation of affected families, and when they were found to be incompetent, she reshuffled or sacked officers immediately. Jayalalithaa even extended help to the Sri Lankan government by instating officers to guide the island nation in the process of rehabilitation. Her administrative style was uncompromising, whether it was banning the sale of gutkha, or mandatory installation of rainwater harvesting systems, but, she got things done on time without any ifs or buts, as was seen with the tsunami relief, ensuring people remembered not the ruthlessness of her tenure, but the help it gave them.
On 11 May 2006, Jayalalithaa resigned as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu following her party's defeat in the assembly elections.
Leader of the Opposition, 2006
AIADMK fared poorly in May
2006 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
The thirteenth legislative assembly election, of Tamil Nadu was held on 8 May 2006. It was held for all 234 constituencies to elect the government in the state for the following five years. The votes were counted three days later on 11 May 2006 ...
, with Her party winning just 61 seats out of total 234 in the state elections in 2006. She won in
Andipatti
Andipatti or Aundipatty is a municipal body in Theni district in Madurai Region of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. It is on the bank of Vaigai River with rich flora and fauna species. It is a valley surrounded by mountains and there is a ...
. Though her main opposition, DMK did not win a single party majority (96/234), DMK coalition had 162/234 seats and formed the cabinet until 2011 which she referred to as "Minority DMK government".
On 29 May 2006, Jayalalithaa was unanimously elected as Leader of the Opposition by AIADMK MLAs replacing O. Panneerselvam soon after two days, she single-handedly took on the ruling DMK in the house in the wake of the suspension of all 60 AIADMK legislators for the entire session.
Sri Lankan Tamil Issue
In August 2008, Jayalalithaa moved the Supreme Court to nullify the Katchatheevu agreements of 1974 and 1976. She had raised the retrieval of the islet in her maiden Independence Day address in August 1991. In 1991, Jayalalithaa led Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted a resolution demanding the retrieval of Katchatheevu. During the civil war and with northern borders under the control of the LTTE, the fishermen had easy access into the fishing grounds.
Jayalalithaa undertook a day-long fast in March 2009, a couple of months before the Parliamentary elections demanding an immediate ceasefire. She accused then Chief Minister Karunanidhi led DMK government in the State and the UPA government at the Centre of "criminal neglect in failing to provide relief and succour to the Sri Lankan Tamils".
In April 2009, LTTE Chief
Prabhakaran
Velupillai Prabhakaran (; ta, வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரபாகரன்; , (26 November 1954 – 18 May 2009) was a Sri Lankan Tamil guerrilla and the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ...
thanked Jayalalithaa for voicing her support in favour of
Tamil Eelam
Tamil Eelam ( ta, தமிழீழம், ''tamiḻ īḻam''; generally rendered outside Tamil-speaking areas as தமிழ் ஈழம்) is a proposed independent state that many Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora ...
through a secret letter. It was later revealed by
AIADMK
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief m ...
MP Maitreyan.
After she returned to power in May 2011, the Assembly had adopted several resolutions, seeking an international probe into the alleged war crimes and genocide in the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War. She also demanded an economic embargo on Sri Lanka. She expressed her opposition not only to the presence of Sri Lankan military personnel receiving training anywhere in India but also to that of Sri Lankan sportspersons.
As for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in Tamil Nadu, she had changed her position. Originally, she justified the refugees taking shelter in the State "as long as the genocide continues" in the Sri Lanka. But, after the
Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India, occurred as a result of a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, India on 21 May 1991. At least 14 others, in addition to Rajiv Gandhi, were killed. It was carried ou ...
in 1991, she had branded the refugee camps as "breeding grounds" for LTTE militants. However, she turned sympathetic again to the refugees in 2011. She not only enhanced allowance for them but also announced a special scheme for building "durable houses" for rehabilitation.
Fourth term as Chief Minister, 2011
After another period (2006–11) in the opposition, Jayalalithaa was sworn in as chief minister for the fourth time after the AIADMK swept the 2011 assembly election in a landslide and stromed back to power. She won in
Srirangam
Srirangam, is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first among ...
. Her government received attention for its extensive social-welfare agenda, which included several subsidised "Amma"-branded goods such as (Amma canteens, Amma bottled water, Amma salt, Amma medical shops, Amma cement and Amma baby care kit).
In April 2011, the AIADMK was part of a 13-party alliance that won the 14th state assembly elections. Jayalalithaa was sworn in as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the fourth time on 16 May 2011, having been elected unanimously as the leader of the AIADMK party subsequent to those elections.
On 19 December 2011, Jayalalithaa expelled her long-time close friend V. K. Sasikala and 13 others from the AIADMK after she became aware that Sasikala and her family were working against her. Most of the party members welcomed her decision. The matter was resolved by 31 March when Sasikala was reinstated as a party member after issuing a written apology. Sasikala in her written apology mentioned that she had no ambitions either in the party or in the government and wanted to serve Jayalalithaa and added that she became aware of misdeeds done by her family members when Jayalalithaa was in power. Only after Sasikala promised to be not in touch with her family members, Jayalalithaa allowed Sasikala back to her house.
In this term, she announced the Pension Scheme for Destitute Transgender by which those above ages of 40 could get a monthly pension of Rs.1,000. Her government ensured members of the
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...
community could enrol for education and job. Beginning from 2011, every year her government gave free laptops to students who clear tenth and twelfth standard to impart digital education to rural areas. Her government in 2011 decided to give four goats and a cow to each family below poverty line — mixer and grinders and fans for households, 3 sets of free uniforms, school, bags, notebooks, geometry boxes for all children in government schools, and cycles and laptops for Class 11 and 12 students. In 2011 she launched the marriage assistance scheme wherein the female students received 4 gram gold free for use as Thirumangalyam for their marriage and cash assistance up to Rs.50,000 for undergraduate or diploma holding females. There were rampant power cut issues between 2006 and 2011 while AIADMK was in opposition wherein for 10 to 15 hours there was no supply of electricity. However, after she regained power, between 2011 and 2015, her state government corrected all the discrepancies of previous DMK regime such that the Central Electricity Authority in 2016 said the state is expected to have 11,649 million units of surplus power. Tamil Nadu became among the power surplus states while she was chief minister in this term. In this term her government ensured the wrongfully usurped property by land grabbing during 2006 to 2011 in the previous DMK regime, had been retrieved and handed over to rightful owners between 2011 and 2015.
She announced in 2012, the Vision 2023 document which embodied a strategic plan for infrastructure development which included raising the per capita income of residents to $10,000 per annum, matching Human Development Index to that of developed countries by 2023, providing high-quality infrastructure all over the State, making Tamil Nadu the knowledge capital and innovation hub of India. This project had three components — Overall Vision Document, Compilation of Project Profile and Road Map. The work on this continued under her supervision until her death. She inaugurated 'Amma health insurance scheme' in 2012.
Amartya Sen
Amartya Kumar Sen (; born 3 November 1933) is an Indian economist and philosopher, who since 1972 has taught and worked in the United Kingdom and the United States. Sen has made contributions to welfare economics, social choice theory, econom ...
in his book ''An Uncertain Glory – India and its Contradictions'' and inspired by many states in India. The Scheme was also lauded by
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
in 2014. Under the scheme,
municipal corporations
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owne ...
of the state-run canteens serving subsidised food at low prices. which was followed by the plenty of populist schemes such as Amma Kudineer (bottled mineral water), 'Amma' Salt, 'Amma' Medical Shops, and 'Amma' Cement.
In 2015, she also launched 'Amma baby care kit' scheme where every mother who gave birth in the government hospital gets 16 types of products.
Verdicts on Tamil Nadu water rows
Jayalalithaa had initiated a case in the Supreme Court to uphold the state's rights on Mullaperiyar Dam issue In 2006. As a result, in May 2014, Supreme court verdict allowed the Tamil Nadu State to increase the storage level in the
Mullaperiyar Dam
Mullaperiyar Dam , is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Indian state of Kerala It is located above the sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, India. It was constructed b ...
to 142 feet from 136 ft and struck down the unconstitutional law enacted by the
Kerala Government
Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...
in 2006 restricting the storage level to 136 ft. This Supreme Court Verdict sustained the livelihood of the farmers and people in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
In February 2013, the Union Government notified the final award of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on the directions of the Supreme Court. Then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa termed it as a "tremendous achievement" of her government after 22 long years of legal battle, the State had got Due justice. Then Jayalalithaa said that it was the happiest day of her life and the happiest day for the farmers in Tamil Nadu, she recalled her famous fast-unto-death at Marina beach in 1993.
General Secretary of AIADMK
On 29 August 2014, Jayalalithaa was re-elected as the General Secretary of the
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief mi ...
for the 7th Consecutive term, Making her the longest serving general secretary of the party till date. Earlier, She was elected in the years of 1988, 1989, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
.
Disproportionate assets case, 2014
Three years into her tenure, she was convicted in a disproportionate-assets case, rendering her disqualified to hold office.
On 27 September 2014, Jayalalithaa was sentenced to four years in jail and fined by the Special Court in Bengaluru. She was convicted in an 18-year-old disproportionate assets case that was launched by
Janata Party
The Janata Party ( JP, lit. ''People's Party'') was a political party that was founded as an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the Emergency that was imposed between 1975 and 1977 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Indian Nati ...
President
Subramanian Swamy
Subramanian Swamy (born 15 September 1939) is an Indian politician, economist and statistician. Before joining politics, he was a professor of Mathematical Economics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He is known for his Hindu n ...
(now a member of
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...
) on 20 August 1996 on the basis of an Income Tax Department report on her. Jayalalithaa's close associate Sasikala, her niece Ilavarasi, her nephew and the chief minister's disowned foster son Sudhakaran were also convicted. They were sentenced to four years in jail and fined each. Special Judge John Michael D'Cunha convicted her to owning assets to the tune of (which includes of land, of gold and 12,000
sari
A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
* as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO
* bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO
* gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std ...
s) disproportionate to her known sources of income during 1991–96 when she was chief minister for the first time. The verdict was delivered by a makeshift court in the Parappana Agrahara prison complex in the presence of Jayalalithaa and the other accused.
She was automatically disqualified from the post of chief minister and the legislative assembly of Tamil Nadu, and thus became the first sitting Indian chief minister to be disqualified. O. Panneerselvam, a minister in her party, succeeded her as the Chief Minister on 29 September 2014. On 17 October 2014, the Supreme Court granted her two months' bail and suspended her sentence. On 18 October 2014, Jayalalithaa returned to
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
after spending 21 days in Bangalore jail. Despite heavy rain that day, AIADMK cadres assembled outside her residence and welcomed her.
On 11 May 2015, a special Bench of the
Karnataka High Court
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
set aside her conviction on appeal. That court acquitted her and the alleged associates—Sasikala, her niece Ilavarasi, her nephew and Jayalalithaa's disowned foster son Sudhakaran.
On 14 February 2017 (subsequent to her death) the Supreme Court of India over-ruled the Karnataka High Court. Sasikala and the other accused were convicted and sentenced to four years of imprisonment, as well as being fined 10 crores each. The case against Jayalalithaa was abated because she had died and hence can't defend herself.
Fifth term as Chief Minister, 2015
The acquittal allowed her once again to hold office and on 23 May 2015, Jayalalithaa was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the fifth time. She was subsequently re-elected by the electorate of the Radhakrishnan Nagar of North Chennai in the by-election held on 27 June 2015. In a landslide victory, she polled more than 88 per cent votes of the 74.4 per cent turnout, winning by a margin of over 150,000 votes.
In 2015, she introduced Amma Master Health checkup plan where in people could get various treatments done at a low fee in government hospitals and rolled out Amma Arogya plan wherein at primary health care centre in Tamil Nadu, certain tests can be done by public twice a week. This was done to help the sections of society who cannot afford the fares asked for by private hospital. Later in February 2016 she started the free bus ride scheme for senior citizens above age of 60 wherein person could travel free of cost for 10 times a month. Her government initiated Global Investors Summit in 2015 which saw over Rs 2.43 lakh crore worth of investments being committed to the state. Jayalalithaa's term, all of them together, saw some big-ticket investments in the state and over $20 billion FDI. The department of industrial policy and promotion data disclosed that Tamil Nadu saw foreign direct investment inflows of $7.3 billion from April 2000 to March 2011; however, this went up to $13.94 billion from April 2011 to December 2015, under her government, which at as per conversion rate equals Rs 83,766 crore. Between April 2015 and December 2015, the State attracted $4.3 billion in FDI.
In June 2015,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
i news channels
Samaa TV
Samaa TV ( ur, سماء) is a Pakistani Urdu language news channel owned by Aleem Khan. It is the fourth-largest news channel in Pakistan with a market share of 7 percent.
The word 'Samaa' ("سما") is Urdu for 'sky' or 'heaven'. It is broadca ...
and Geo News aired a news and applauded Jayalalithaa for her government's scheme which was introduced in 2013, of supplying free rice to
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
s during Ramzan and suggested the scheme should be implemented in Pakistan too.
Sixth consecutive term as Chief Minister, 2016
In the 2016 assembly election, she became the first Tamil Nadu chief minister since M.G.R. in 1984 to be voted back into power. That September, she fell severely ill and, following 75 days of hospitalisation, died on 5 December 2016 due to cardiac arrest.
BJP President Amit Shah accused the Jayalalithaa government of being the "most corrupt" in the country and asked the people to oust it in the 16 May Assembly elections. On that Election,
Jayalalithaa's Campaign Slogan was "I'm of the people, and I'm for the people." () Jayalalithaa was again elected as
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the head of government, chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the Governors of states of India, governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, bu ...
in the May 2016 elections. She retained the
Radhakrishnan Nagar Assembly constituency
Radhakrishnan Nagar (Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar) or R. K. Nagar, is a legislative assembly constituency in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Its State Assembly Constituency number is 11. It is part of Chennai North Lok Sabha constituency
Ch ...
with a margin of 39,545 votes over her DMK rival. She became the first leader in Tamil Nadu to serve consecutive terms as Chief Minister since the death of M.G.R. in 1987. In her victory speech, she commented, "Even when 10 parties allied themselves against me, I did not have a coalition and I placed my faith in God and built an alliance with the people. It is clear that the people have faith in me and I have total faith in the people."
Her government within 100 days of resuming power in May 2016, wrote off the outstanding crop loans given by cooperative banks to over 16.94 lakh farmers, gave free power to households to extent of first 100 units and gave free power to handloom weavers to extent of 200 units, gave 750 units of power to power loom weavers, implemented closure of 500 liquor shops and reduction of working hours of liquor outlets emergence of power surplus states. The establishment of first 1,000 MW nuclear power plant at Kudankulam is also regarded as one of her achievements. She increased the freedom fighters monthly pension to Rs 12,000, family pension and increased special pension to Rs 6,000. On 21 September 2016 she inaugurated two
Chennai Metro
The Chennai Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the 4th longest metro system In india. The system commenced service in 2015 after partially opening the first phase of the project. The network c ...
rail lines by way of video conferencing. This was her last public appearance before being admitted to hospital on 22 September 2016.
Controversies
Personality cult
Followers of Jayalalithaa often worshiped her as a divine being. She stimulated a cult following, and adoring supporters often termed her "
Adi Parashakti
Mahadevi ( sa, महादेवी, ), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, Adi Shakti, and Abhaya Shakti, is the supreme goddess in the Shaktism sect of Hinduism. According to this tradition, all Hindu goddesses are considered to be manifesta ...
" (the eternal mighty goddess). Several experts say that over the years the cult called 'Amma' has been carefully crafted. Others claim that the emotional outburst is just a spontaneous display of loyalist support. C Lakshmanan of the Madras Development Institute studies, who has studied personality cult in the politics of Tamil Nadu, said posters were installed around the state portraying Jayalalithaa as a goddess back then. She was worshiped by the party cadre as "Amma" (Mother). She made sure the respect and loyalty of the functionaries of the party was there for everyone to see. The entire Cabinet would fall in line and bow in front of the helicopter in which it was flying. Members of the party, at all levels never found it difficult to prostrate before her in full view of the public. Many of her worshipping followers are known to profess their loyalty through acts such as walking on hot coals or drawing her portrait with their blood. S Kirubakaran who is a Journalist-turned-advocate, wrote a book on Jayalalitha titled, 'Ammavin Kathai,' said that when M.G.R. was a Chief Minister, he carefully chose MLAs and Ministers for the first time after going through their knowledge and experience. But Jayalalithaa had begun to assign those who praised her. Even after her death, the AIADMK leaders continued to prostrate themselves before her burial ground.
1999 Attempted murder case
A case of murder attempt were registered against Jayalalithaa, her close associate Sasikala, and Sasikala's nephew V Mahadevan has been recorded by the Chennai police on following a complaint by former Jayalalithaa's auditor, Rajasekaran, who alleged that he was summoned to the Poes Garden bungalow and violently assaulted by Jayalalithaa, Sasikala and Mahadevan with a stick and high-heeled shoes. Rajasekaran also stated that he had been forced by Jayalalithaa and Sasikala to sign two letters and a promissory note in respect of ₹50 lakhs. Jayalalithaa, however, denied the charges in a statement.
Corruption cases
1996 colour TV case
In the colour TV corruption case involving the purchase of TV sets to villagers, Jayalalithaa was charged and arrested. The TV sets were provided in the framework of a government education and entertainment plan for the village population. Officials said the TVs were purchased at inflated prices and claimed that some of the money paid for TV stations was returned as kickbacks to government officials. Later, she was acquitted as the accusation against them were not proven beyond doubt.
Detained in 1996, the media reported that 21.28 kg of gold jewels worth Rs 3.5 crore, 10,500
sari
A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
* as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO
* bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO
* gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std ...
s, 91 designer watches, 750 pairs of shoes, 1,250 kg of silver objects worth 3.12 crores, diamonds worth 2 crores, a silver sword and 19 vehicles were among the priceless treasures found at her house.
1995 Foster son and luxury wedding corruption
In 1995, Jayalalithaa's friend Sasikala's nephew Sudhakaran was engaged to the youngest daughter of Sivaji Ganesan. Jayalalithaa was a chief minister of state by this time. Jaya declared that Sudhakaran would be adopted as her foster son and said that she would be performing his marriage as his mother.
The wedding occupied a 2-km long lighted baraat pathway, ten dining halls each accommodating 25,000 people, and a 75,000 square foot pandal. Tons of plywood, plaster of paris and paint were used to erect cut-outs of Jayalalitha, arches, several hundred papier-mache statues, elaborate facades of palaces and gateways. The VIP invitations included a silver plate enclosed in a container, a silk saree and a silk dhoti, each worth ₹20,000. The marriage hosted more than 1,000 VIPs. More than 40,000 guests were granted accommodation in the hotel. A legion of elephants and chefs brought in from Kerala. The incident, hailed as "the mother of all marriages". People's anger mounted against her as the crores were lavished at the wedding, and Jayalalithaa and Sasikala became symbols of corruption. She was accused of using government money to celebrate the grand marriage. The marriage may have triggered the AIADMK to lose all 39 Lok Sabha seats in the 1996 general election.
She was later sentenced for 4 years in jail in 2014 for corruption related to the marriage and the Disproportionate assets case.
Jayalalithaa owns a Guinness Book of World Records for conducting the luxury wedding. The record shows that over 15,000 guests have been invited. The Income-Tax Dept estimated the cost of the wedding at ₹10 crore.
Jayalalithaa later disowned Sudhakaran as her foster son.
1998 TANSI land deal case
The TANSI land deal case refers to the purchase of land by Jaya Publications, which included Jayalalithaa and her friend Sasikala, from the State Small Industry Company, Tansi,
Guindy
Guindy is one of the most important neighborhoods of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and is nicknamed as ''The Gateway to Chennai''. The Kathipara junction where Anna Salai, Mount-Poonamallee Road, Inner Ring Road, 100 Feet Road or Jawaharlal Nehru Ro ...
. Justice P Anbhazhagan delivered the judgment, and said that the evidence stated in the prosecution sheet, and that the sale deed of the prime land in Guindy had been carried out on 29 May 1992, in the unequivocal aim of cheating against the government. The Supreme Court disqualified her in September 2001, resulting in her stepping down and which made O. Panneerselvam as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. The Madras High Court acquitted her and other 5 accused in the case of all the charges on 4 December 2001.
Disproportionate assets case
Jayalalithaa was initially convicted of misusing her office during her tenure in 1991–1996.
Subramanian Swamy
Subramanian Swamy (born 15 September 1939) is an Indian politician, economist and statistician. Before joining politics, he was a professor of Mathematical Economics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He is known for his Hindu n ...
was the main petitioner. Some of the accusations concerned expenditure on her foster son's luxurious marriage in 1996 and acquiring properties worth more than 66.65 crore, as well as jewellery, bank deposits, investment and a convoy of luxury vehicles. The trial lasted for 18 years. Justice John Michael D'Cunha, in a detailed judgement, showed that the entire asset belonged to the accused and no one else. On 11 May 2015, Jayalalithaa was acquitted of all charges by the High Court of Karnataka. On 14 February 2017, the Supreme Court of India overruled the High Court of Karnataka. Sasikala and the other accused were convicted and sentenced to four years in prison, as well as to a fine of ₹10 crore each.
2000 Pleasant Stay hotel case
Pleasant Stay hotel case is the construction of the seven-story hotel "Pleasant stay" in Kodaikanal, which was in breach of the rules for the construction of the seven-story building in a blue ville in the tourist resort town in Kodaikanal. Jayalalithaa, Selvaganapathy and Pandey granted a permission to create a seven-story structure at the hotel. The case was related to Jayalalithaa's supposed clearance by violating government rules to the development of a hotel in
ecological
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
ly significant
Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal () is a hill station which is located in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Its name in the Tamil language means "The Gift of the Forest". Kodaikanal is referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" and has a long ...
. Jayalalithaa was sentenced in February 2000 to one year's strict imprisonment, with the penalty fined Rs.1000 for conspiracy and criminal misconduct as a public employee. After the court's decision, AIADMK cadres started to riot and arson which burned alive three female students in the Dharmapuri bus burning and many were killed and injured. The Supreme Court disqualified her in September 2001, resulting in her stepping down and which made O. Panneerselvam as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. The Madras High Court acquitted her and other 5 accused in the case of all the charges on 4 December 2001.
Nomination petition case
This case is against Jayalalithaa's filing of nomination petitions in four assembly constituencies namely Bhuvanagiri,
Krishnagiri
Krishnagiri () is a city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, and it serves as the administrative headquarters of Krishnagiri District formed in 2004. It is located at the bottom of Krishnadevaraya Hills, and the town is fully surrounded by hill ...
,
Andipatti
Andipatti or Aundipatty is a municipal body in Theni district in Madurai Region of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. It is on the bank of Vaigai River with rich flora and fauna species. It is a valley surrounded by mountains and there is a ...
and
Pudukkottai
Pudukkottai is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a large city located on the banks of the Vellar River. It has been ruled, at different times, by the mutharaiyar dynasty , Cholas, ...
, contrary to the Election Commission rules, during the
2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
The twelfth legislative assembly election of Tamil Nadu was held on 10 May 2001. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-led front won the elections and its general secretary, J. Jayalalithaa was sworn in as Chief Minister, even though ...
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
A Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha ( abbreviated: MP) is the representative of a legislative constituency in the Lok Sabha; the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of parliament of Lok Sabha are chosen by direct elections on ...
filed a case in the Madras High Court in June, 2007.After hearing this, the Madras High Court ordered the Election Commission of India to file a criminal case regarding Jayalalithaa's filing of nomination papers in more than two constituencies in violation of the Election Commission's regulations. The Supreme Court dismissed this case in 2017.
Income Tax Account Case
This case filed by the Income Tax Department in 1996 against the Jayalalithaa for not submitting her returns to the Income Tax Department for the year 1993-1994. The Income Tax Department filed another case in 1997 alleging that Sasi Enterprises and its partners Jayalalithaa and Sasikala had not filed income tax returns for the years 1991-1992 and 1992-1993. The Income Tax Case related to non-filing of income tax returns was pending in the Additional Chief Metropolitan Criminal Court, Chennai.
Petitions filed in the Madras High Court seeking dismissal of these cases were rejected in 2006. Later, an appeal was filed by Jayalalithaa in the Supreme Court. On 30 January 2014, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition and directed the Metropolitan Court of
Egmore
Egmore is a neighbourhood of Chennai, India. Situated on the northern banks of the Coovum River, Egmore is an important residential area as well as a commercial and transportation hub. The Egmore Railway Station was the main terminus of the Ma ...
to complete the investigation within four months. Later this period was further extended. Meanwhile, the accused had filed a petition with the Income Tax Department on June 25 for amicable settlement of the matter. The trial of this case took place in Egmore Court on 17-09-2014. The case has been adjourned to November 6.In this case, Jayalalitha and Sasikala paid the penalty amount of two crore rupees imposed by the Income Tax Department to the Income Tax Department, and on January 8, 2015, the Income Tax Department withdrew the case and the Income Tax Account case ended.As she was acquitted of all cases, she assumed the post of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the fifth time on 23 May 2015.
Illness, death and reactions
On 22 September 2016, Jayalalithaa was admitted to
Apollo Hospitals
Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited is an Indian multinational healthcare group headquartered in Chennai. Along with the eponymous hospital chain, the company also operates pharmacies, primary care and diagnostic centres, telehealth clinics, ...
in Chennai, as she was suffering from an infection and acute
dehydration
In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...
. Her official duties were handed over to her minister O. Panneerselvam on 12 October 2016, though she continued to remain as the chief minister of the state. She was also said to be suffering from a severe pulmonary infection and
septicaemia
Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...
, which were cured. On 4 December 2016, she was re-admitted to the
intensive care unit
220px, Intensive care unit
An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensi ...
after suffering a
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...
around 16:45 on the evening. The hospital released a press statement stating that her condition was "very critical" and that she was on life support. On 5 December 2016, the hospital announced her death around 23:30 and she became the first female chief minister to die in office in India.
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
declared a one-day
national mourning
A national day of mourning is a day or days marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by the national government. Such days include those marking the death or funeral of ...
with the national flag in all government buildings flying at half-mast. While a seven-day state mourning from 6 to 12 December 2016 was observed by
Government of Tamil Nadu
Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, l ...
, also three day state mourning from 6 to 8 December 2016 were observed by
Government of Kerala
Government of Kerala is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior mini ...
and the
Government of Puducherry
Government of Puducherry is the union territorial government for the union territory of Puducherry, India. It is headed by the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. Its capital is located at Pondicherry.
Government and administration
Lieuten ...
. One day state mourning on 6 December 2016 was observed by
Government of Karnataka
The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...
,
Government of Bihar
The Government of Bihar, known locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Bihar and its 9 divisions which consist of 38 districts . It consists of an executive, led by the Governor of Bihar, a ju ...
Government of Uttarakhand
The Government of Uttarakhand also known as the State Government of Uttarakhand, or locally as State Government, is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttarakhand and its 13 Districts. It consists of an executive branch, led ...
and
Government of Goa
The Government of Goa is a state government created by the Constitution of India and has executive, legislative and judicial authority of the state of Goa. It is headquartered in Panaji, the capital city of Goa.
History
The governor's role ...
.
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Pranab Mukherjee
Dr. Pranab Mukherjee (11 December 193531 August 2020) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 13th president of India from 2012 until 2017. In a political career spanning five decades, Mukherjee was a senior leader in the India ...
,
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...
, Union Ministers, Several State Chief Ministers, Political leaders and Film fraternity Condoled and paid last tributes on her demise. Her body was kept in state at her residence Veda Nilayam in Poes Garden until the wee hours of 6 December 2016 and later at Rajaji Hall for public to pay their tribute. Her
last rites
The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortall ...
were performed on the evening of 6 December 2016 and she was buried at the northern end of the Marina Beach in Chennai in a sandalwood casket engraved with "Puratchi Thalaivi Selvi J Jayalalithaa", near the grave of her mentor
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...
at the
MGR Memorial
M.G.R Memorial Complex is a memorial complex built on the Marina beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Spread over 8.25 acres, the memorial is located adjacent to the Anna Memorial. It was built in memory of former chief ministers of Tamil Nadu ...
.
The US and several other countries sent condolences. American Ambassador
Richard Verma
Richard Rahul Verma (born November 27, 1968) is an Indian-American lawyer, diplomat, and executive, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to India from 2014 to 2017. Verma previously served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs ...
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel,
Sri Lankan President
The President of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ''Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi''; ta, இலங்கை சனாதிபதி ''Ilankai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of t ...
Ranil Wickremesinghe
Ranil Wickremesinghe ( si, රනිල් වික්රමසිංහ, ta, ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க; born 24 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who is the current president of Sri Lanka since 21 July 2 ...
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
Foreign Affairs Minister
Vivian Balakrishnan
Vivian Balakrishnan ( ta, விவியன் பாலகிருஷ்ணன்; born 1961) is a Singaporean politician, diplomat and former ophthalmologist who has been serving in the Cabinet as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2015. A m ...
Malaysian Prime Minister
The prime minister of Malaysia ( ms, Perdana Menteri Malaysia; ms, ڤردان منتري مليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the feder ...
Najib Razak also sent his condolences.
The News of Jayalalithaa's demise was covered by International Media.
On 11 December 2016, the
AIADMK
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief m ...
said that over 470 party workers died, 'shocked' by Jayalalithaa's demise, and announced a solatium of Rs 300,000 to each of their families.
In September 2017, C. Sreenivaasan of AIADMK courted controversy by saying that V. K. Sasikala's family was responsible for Jayalalithaa's death. Sreenivasan said that he had to lie about the late chief minister's death because of pressure.
On 12 September 2017, Late J. Jayalalithaa was named the eternal general secretary of
AIADMK
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief m ...
at the AIADMK general council .
The Memorial of Jayalalithaa
A memorial was built for her at a cost of ₹500 million
rupees
Rupee is the common name for the currencies of
India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
. The Construction Works of
Jayalalithaa
Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...
's marina memorial started on 7 May 2018.
On 27 January 2021, The memorial of
Jayalalithaa
Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...
was inaugurated by then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Edappadi K. Palaniswami (born 12 May 1954), also known as E.P.S., is an Indian politician and the leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He served as the 7th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, from 2017 to 2021. He has been th ...
.
Death Probe by Justice Arumugaswamy commission
Among the Public, Jayalalithaa's 75-day hospitalisation and her demise, remained unclear and shrouded in secrecy. DMK and other opposition parties sought a probe into her death.
Timeline
* 17 August 2017 – The one-man Commission by retired Justice was announced by then Chief Minister
Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Edappadi K. Palaniswami (born 12 May 1954), also known as E.P.S., is an Indian politician and the leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He served as the 7th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, from 2017 to 2021. He has been th ...
.
* 25 September 2017 – Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission was formally constituted by then Chief Minister
Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Edappadi K. Palaniswami (born 12 May 1954), also known as E.P.S., is an Indian politician and the leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He served as the 7th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, from 2017 to 2021. He has been th ...
to investigate the death of J Jayalalithaa.
* 22 November 2017 – The Commission commenced its hearing.
* 26 April 2019 – The Supreme Court of India stayed the functions of the commission based on the plea of the hospital in . The Commission had probed with hundreds of people including expert doctors, medical staff, ministers and then state health secretary of Tamil Nadu. London-based doctor Dr. Richard Beale was also summoned in front of the Commission in 2019 since he was closely involved with the selection of treatment provided to then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
* 23 July 2021 – The 11th extension granted for the commission to submit its report was extended by the state government.
* 27 July 2021 – The Newly Elected DMK led Tamil Nadu Government sought permission from the Supreme Court to restart the inquiry into her death, as the inquiry into the mystery surrounding Jayalalithaa's death was one of the poll promises made by DMK in 2021 State Assembly Election.
* 30 November 2021 – The Supreme Court passed orders to allow setting up a medical board of AIIMS doctors to help the Justice A. Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry in gathering facts and examining witnesses in the case.
* 7 March 2022 – The Commission resumed its hearing as the supreme court vacated the previous stay order.
* 26 April 2022 – The Commission completed its hearing nearly after 5 years. The Commission probed more than 150 witnesses including former chief minister O. Panneerselvam, V. K. Sasikala, Elavarasi, Several IAS and IPS officers.
* 3 August 2022 – The final tenure extension was granted for the commission to submit its report by the state government. This was the 14th extension since its formation.
* 4 August 2022 – The
AIIMS
The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a group of autonomous government public medical universities of higher education under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare , Government of India. These institutes h ...
panel gave clean chit to Apollo Hospitals and found no errors in the Jayalalithaa treatment.
* 27 August 2022 – The Justice Arumughaswamy Commission finally submitted the 600-page report to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. K. Stalin after 5 years of its formation.
* 18 October 2022 – The State Government tabled the Commission report in the
Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a strength of 234 members of whom are democratically elected using the First-past-the-post system. The presiding officer of the Assembl ...
. It raised doubts over the medical treatment given to former chief minister Jayalalithaa , It has recommended further probe against her aide V. K. Sasikala, the then health minister C. Vijayabaskar, Dr. K. S. Sivakumar, of Apollo Hospitals, Dr
J. Radhakrishnan
J. Radhakrishnan (born 16 September 1966) is an Indian civil servant and administrator. He is currently the commissioner of greater chennai corporation (GCC) of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. He is known for his relief work in Nagapattinam a ...
, former health secretary, former chief secretary P Rama Mohana Rao, among others, for what it called as “lapses”. The report also revealed that multiple people questioned during the probe said Jayalalithaa died on 4 December 2016, between 3 pm and 3:50 pm and not on 5 December 2016 as declared. It claimed that US doctor Samin Sharma had convinced the late CM Jayalalithaa to agree for an angio. It also questioned why she was not taken abroad for treatment even though Dr. Richard Beale was prepared to take the then Chief Minister.
In popular culture
In
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six ...
's political drama ''
Iruvar
''Iruvar'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language epic political drama film co-written, produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, inspired by the lives of M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa is set against the backdrop ...
'' (1997), the character of Kalpana portrayed by
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ( Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebriti ...
, was inspired by Jayalalithaa and her professional and personal relationship with
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...
. In 2008 Dasavathaaram Movie,Uses She seeing flooding areas from helicopter. In Attahasa Movie, sources in July 2011 reported that
Priyamani
Priya Vasudev Mani Iyer (born 4 June 1984), known by her professional name Priyamani, is an Indian actress and former model, who works in the South Indian film industry. She is a recipient of Several Awards.
Priyamani made her acting debut ...
and
Jayachitra
Jayachitra is an Indian actress films who works mostly in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films.
Early life
Jayachitra was born in 1957. Her father Mahendra was a veterinary doctor, who had earlier worked as a lawyer. Her mother Ammaji (a.k.a. Ja ...
were signed on to portray Muthulakshmi and the role of Chief Minister Jayalalitha, respectively Priyamani denied being part of the project, adding that she was not offered the role.
Faisal Saif
Faisal Saif (27 April 1976 – 13 September 2022) was an Indian film director, film critic and writer. He began his film career as an assistant director on '' Aur Ek Prem Kahani'', ''Angaar'' and ''Grahan''. He mostly chose controversial horror ...
completed work on major portions of a film titled '' Amma'' between 2014 and 2016, but was forced to shelve it following threats from members of Jayalalithaa's political party. The makers denied that the film was a biopic, but stated that actress
Ragini Dwivedi
Ragini Dwivedi (born 24 May 1990) is an Indian actress and model who works primarily in Kannada films.
She made her entry to filmdom with ''Veera Madakari'' (2009). She rose to fame starring in successful Kannada language films, ''Kempe Gowda' ...
portrayed a role resembling the politician.
Since Jayalalithaa's death, several filmmakers have announced biopics on the politician, with six currently in production. In January 2017, Telugu filmmaker
Dasari Narayana Rao
Dasari Narayana Rao (4 May 1947 – 30 May 2017) was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, lyricist, and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema, in addition to Hindi cinema. He has directed more than 150 ...
registered the title ''Amma'' and began preparing for a biopic on the politician. The film was being planned with Anushka Shetty in the lead role, but Rao's death in May 2017 effectively ended the project, despite indications that Mohan Babu may revive it. Producer Adithya Bharadwaj announced that his team were over a year into pre-production work for a proposed biopic of Jayalalithaa, during December 2017. Titled ''Thaai: Puratchi Thalaivi'', he revealed that it would predominantly be a fictionalised retelling of her story with some real life footage also included. Bharadwaj suggested that he had briefly touched upon the possibility of a biopic with Jayalalithaa when she was alive, but the script had to be reworked following her death. Despite his suggestions that the film would begin production in January 2018, the project did not take off. Soon after news emerged about Vijay's and Priyadarshini's biopics in August 2018, Adithya reconfirmed that
Bharathiraja
Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with '' 16 Vayathinile'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. ...
had been signed to be the director of the film. He added that the team were considering either Aishwarya Rai or Anushka Shetty for the role of Jayalalithaa, and either Kamal Haasan or
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically app ...
for the role of M. G. Ramachandran.
In August 2018, producer Vishnu Vardhan Induri of Vibri Media announced that he was working on a biopic of Jayalalithaa, and that A. L. Vijay would direct the project. The team announced that pre-production work and research was ongoing and that the film would focus on the personal life of the politician, showing her vulnerable side. Actresses including Nayanthara and
Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including a National Fi ...
were initially approached by Vijay to star in the lead role, while
Sai Pallavi
Sai Pallavi Senthamarai Kannan (born 9 May 1992), known by her stage name Sai Pallavi, is an Indian actress and dancer who works in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam cinema. She has won several awards including four Filmfare Awards South, and was ...
was considered for the supporting role of V. K. Sasikala. Titled '' Thalaivii'' (2021), the film began its shoot after a long pre-production phase in November 2019 with
Kangana Ranaut
Kangna Amardeep Ranaut (; born 23 March 1987) is an Indian actress and filmmaker who works in Hindi films. Known for her work in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards and five Filmfar ...
signed to play the lead role. The Movie ' was released on 10 September 2021. Within a day of Induri's announcement of making a film, director Priyadarshini announced that she had also been working for four months on the pre-production of a biopic, which would be launched in September 2018. Priyadarshini suggested that she had four scripts ready, with each focusing on different aspects of Jayalalithaa's life, and that the narration would be balanced by showing both her positive and negative sides. Titled ''The Iron Lady'',
Nithya Menen
Nithya Menen (born 8 April 1988) is an Indian actress and singer who has acted in more than 50 feature films and in six different languages: Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, English, and Telugu.In her acting career, Nithya has won three Film ...
was signed on to play the lead role, while
Aishwarya Rajesh
Aishwarya Rajesh (born 10 January 1990) is an Indian actress who works primarily in Tamil films, alongside Telugu and Malayalam films. She is a recipient of four SIIMA Awards, one Filmfare Award South and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award.
Ai ...
and
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar (born 5 March 1985) is an Indian actress who appears in Tamil and Telugu films, in addition to Kannada and Malayalam films. She made her debut with the Tamil film ''Podaa Podi'' (2012).
Early life and family
Varalaxmi w ...
were in talks for a supporting role for the character of Sasikala.
On 14 December 2019, Another biopic named
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
has been released as a web-series by
Gautham Vasudev Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon (born 25 February 1973) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema, Tamil film industry. He has also directed Telugu cinema, Telugu and Hindi cinema, Hindi films th ...
became the fourth such announcement of a related project in August 2018. Production on the series progressed quietly throughout late 2018, with Ramya Krishnan selected to play Jayalalithaa, and Indrajith and
Vamsi Krishna
Vamsi Krishna is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Telugu and Tamil films. He made his debut in '' Gharshana'' (2004) and went on to play the antagonist in films including ''Thadaiyara Thaakka'' (2012) and ''Ivan Veramathiri'' (2013).
...
portraying M. G. Ramchandran and
Sobhan Babu
Sobhan Babu (born Uppu Sobhana Chalapathi Rao; 14 January 1937 – 20 March 2008) was an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema.Bangaru Panjaram in Venditera Paatalu, Krishnasastri Sahityam, third volume, Vishalandhra Publishing House ...
respectively. In October 2018, Sasikala's nephew Jeyanandh Dhivakaran announced a further biopic on Jayalalithaa, which would focus more on her relationship with Sasikala and M. Natarajan. Director
Linguswamy
Nammalvar Lingusamy, (born 14 November 1967), is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and film producer in Tamil cinema based in Chennai. Lingusamy made his directorial debut with ''Aanandham'' in 2001 and followed by '' Run'' (2002), '' S ...
was signed on to the project, and began pre-production work by meeting close aides and politicians of Jayalalithaa. In April 2019, director Jegadeswara Reddy announced that he was set to make a film titled '' Sasilalithaa'', which would showcase the relationship between Jayalalithaa and Sasikala. A first look poster was launched, with Reddy announcing that he would enter talks with Kajol and
Amala Paul
Amala Paul (born 26 October 1991) is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. She made her acting debut by appearing in a supporting role in the Malayalam-language film ''Neelathamara'', and she later became no ...
to play the lead roles.
Jayalalithaa also appeared in an episode of ''
Rendezvous with Simi Garewal
Simi Garewal (born Simrita Garewal; 17 October 1947) is an Indian actress, director, producer and a talk show host. She is the recipient of two Filmfare awards and an ITA Award. She is known for her work in Hindi films like '' Do Badan'', '' S ...
'', an informal
chat-show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
hosted by Indian actress
Simi Garewal
Simi Garewal (born Simrita Garewal; 17 October 1947) is an Indian actress, director, producer and a talk show host. She is the recipient of two Filmfare awards and an ITA Award. She is known for her work in Hindi films like ''Do Badan'', '' Saa ...
, where she talked about her personal life and acting/political career.
Elections contested and positions held
Tamil Nadu Legislative elections
Posts in Parliament of India
Posts in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
Awards and honours
* In 1972, J. Jayalalithaa was awarded the
Kalaimamani
The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of ...
by the
Government of Tamil Nadu
Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, l ...
.
*
Honorary doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
received from
University of Madras
The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...
Madurai Kamaraj University
Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) is a public state university located in Madurai city, in southern Tamil Nadu, India, established in 1966. MKU is one of the 15 universities in India with the University with Potential for Excellence status, wh ...
in 1993.
* Honorary doctorate received from
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is the state agricultural university of Tamil Nadu located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
History
The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University had its genesis from establishment of an agricultural sc ...
in 2003.
* Honorary doctorate received from
Bharathidasan University
Bharathidasan University (BDU) is a university in the city of Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located on Tiruchirappalli-Pudukkottai National Highway 336. It has affiliated colleges in the districts of Ariyalur district, Karur, Nag ...
in 2003.
* In 2004, she was invited by the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
to receive the "Woman Politician of the Decade Award" from the Asian Guild Awards.
* In 2004, The "Golden Star of Honor and Dignity Award" was conferred upon her by the
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
-based International Human Rights Defense Committee recognising her services in protecting the weaker section of society and in the field of gender equality in Tamil Nadu and India. Then
United Nations Secretary General
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-g ...
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founde ...
,
Russian President
The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.
Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...
to appreciate her exemplary excellence and dedication as a leader and in service to the people of Tamil Nadu.
* In 2018, Government of Tamil Nadu renamed ''Tamil Nadu Fisheries University'' after her as Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University.
* In 2019, Government of Tamil Nadu named three Kalaimamani award after her as Puratchi Thalaivi Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Special Kalaimamani Award.
* In 2019, Government of Tamil Nadu renamed ''Tamil Nadu Music and Fine Arts University'' after her as The Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Music and Fine Arts University.
* In 2020, Government of Tamil Nadu renamed Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education Campus after her as Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Campus.
* On 31 July 2020, ''CMBT Metro Station'' in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
Government of Tamil Nadu
Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, l ...
to honour her.
Works
Jayalalithaa wrote 4 full-fledged novels, columns for Bommai, Thuglak in the 1970s, short stories for Kalki, Thai in the 1980s. She had an insatiable desire in her mind to write her autobiography, but it was not fulfilled until the last.
Novels and Series
*''Uravin Kaidigal (Prisoners of a relationship)'' - The Tamil version of an English novel which she wrote for Eve's Weekly, a woman's magazine published from
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
. Kalki Rajendran had made a fervent appeal to Jayalalithaa to write the same in Tamil. Then It was published as a serial in
Kalki
Kalki ( sa, कल्कि), also called Kalkin or Karki, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of exist ...
in 1980 and attracted both strong criticism and praise.
* ''Oruthikhey Sondham (Belong to one)'' - Jayalalithaa's First Tamil 95-paged Novel Published in June 1980 by
Kumudam
''Kumudam'' is a Tamil weekly magazine published in Chennai, India. It was founded in 1948 by S.A.P. Annamalai, and his close friend and confidante P.V. Parthasarathy. Now the magazine is published under the Kumudam Group, which also publishes ...
's monthly, Malai Mathi Magazine.
*''Nenjile Oru Kanal (A fire in my heart)'' - Written in
Kumudam
''Kumudam'' is a Tamil weekly magazine published in Chennai, India. It was founded in 1948 by S.A.P. Annamalai, and his close friend and confidante P.V. Parthasarathy. Now the magazine is published under the Kumudam Group, which also publishes ...
Weekly Magazine, which she said was partly autobiographical.
*''Ennangal Sila (Some of the thoughts)'' - Published as Series in
Thuglak
)
, logo =Thuglak.jpg
, image =
, image_size = 150px
, image_caption = ''Thuglak'' ( ta, துக்ளக்)
, editor = Swaminathan Gurumurthy
, editor_title = Editor
, previous_editor = Cho Ramaswamy
, staff_writer =
, frequency = ...
Weekly Magazine for nearly 7 years, which was written anonymously by Jayalalithaa, Eventually Her identity was disclosed by the editor Cho Ramaswamy.
*''Nee indri Nanillai (I am not without you)'' - Novel Published in Valampuri John's Kavithabanu Publications.
Books
*''Manadhai Thotta Malargal (Flowers that touch the mind)'' - The Collective version of 45 Columns written as ''Enakku Pidithavai'' i Thai weekly magazine. In this book, she wrote about her favourites (Place, Flower, Animal, Song, Writer, Journalist, Philosophist, Teacher, Painter
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...
, Novel
David Copperfield
''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...
)
Short Stories and Columns
Jayalalithaa also carved many Short stories and Columns in Tamil and English. She had written an anonymous critic article in 'Thuglak' magazine which focused on the harassment of a woman under the police custody somewhere in
North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...
International Affairs
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...
''. She also focused on writing about ''Negligence of Indian doctors'', '' Italian law for pregnant women'' and ''The possibility of
astrology
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...
''. In 'Bommai' magazine, She also wrote about '' beauty tips''.
Other interests
Countries visited
Jayalalithaa has travelled to countries such as
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
etc.
Leisure Interests
Jayalalithaa is also interested in
reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
,
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
,
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
,
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
,
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
,
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
and horse-riding. As a school girl, she had a huge crush on former Indian skipper Nari Contractor. In an interview with
Simi Garewal
Simi Garewal (born Simrita Garewal; 17 October 1947) is an Indian actress, director, producer and a talk show host. She is the recipient of two Filmfare awards and an ITA Award. She is known for her work in Hindi films like ''Do Badan'', '' Saa ...
in the 1990s, Jayalalitha had revealed her fondness for the cricketer and she had followed his game closely during the 1960s. In Kumudam Magazine, she had written that she used to watch Test matches. When she found difficult in booking last-minute tickets for special enclosure, she decided to become the Member of ''Tamil Nadu Cricket Association'' through which she could receive tickets automatically for all Test matches and Ranji Trophy. On her request, then famous cricket commentator and the general manager o Das prakash Group of Hotels P. Ananda Rao who had influence on TNCA, represented her case on his board meeting. Hence, Jayalalithaa became the first independent and patron women member of
Tamil Nadu Cricket Association
Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) is the governing body of cricket activities in the India state of Tamil Nadu. It is affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India and governs the Tamil Nadu cricket team. Rupa Gurunath is the for ...
in the period of 1973–74.
Favourite Books
In an interview, Jayalalithaa said that when she was just eight years old, she used to read
Rajaji
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and independence activis ...
's ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
'' () and ''
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
Enid Blyton
Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have b ...
Denise Robins
Denise Robins (née Denise Naomi Klein; 1 February 1897 – 1 May 1985) was a prolific English romantic novelist and the first President of the Romantic Novelists' Association (1960–1966). She wrote under her first married name and under the ...
,
Barbara Cartland
Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland, (9 July 1901 – 21 May 2000) published as Barbara Cartland was an English writer, known as the Queen of Romance, who published both contemporary and historical romance novels, the latter set primarily duri ...
,
Mills and Boon
Mills & Boon is a romance imprint of British publisher Harlequin UK Ltd. It was founded in 1908 by Gerald Rusgrove Mills and Charles Boon as a general publisher. The company moved towards escapist fiction for women in the 1930s. In 1971, the ...
. Her favourite authors were
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
,
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798).
Wordsworth's ' ...
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
,
Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer. He was prominent in the 1930s, first working on Broadway plays, and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy '' The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxe ...
Pearl S. Buck
Pearl Sydenstricker Buck (June 26, 1892 – March 6, 1973) was an American writer and novelist. She is best known for ''The Good Earth'' a bestselling novel in the United States in 1931 and 1932 and won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, Pulitze ...
,
James Hadley Chase
James Hadley Chase (24 December 1906 – 6 February 1985) was an English writer. While his birth name was René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, he was well known by his various pseudonyms, including James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Raymond ...
and
Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...
.
She also read ''
Shakespeare's plays
Shakespeare's plays are a canon of approximately 39 dramatic works written by English poet, playwright, and actor William Shakespeare. The exact number of plays—as well as their classifications as tragedy, history, comedy, or otherwise—is a ...
Jung Chang
Jung Chang (, , born 25 March 1952) is a Chinese-British writer now living in London, best known for her family autobiography ''Wild Swans'', selling over 10 million copies worldwide but banned in the People's Republic of China.
Her 832-page ...
's ''
Wild Swans
''Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China'' is a family history that spans a century, recounting the lives of three female generations in China, by Chinese writer Jung Chang. First published in 1991, ''Wild Swans'' contains the biographies of her g ...
'',
Jean Plaidy
Eleanor Alice Hibbert (née Burford; 1 September 1906 – 18 January 1993) was an English writer of historical romances. She was a prolific writer who published several books a year in different literary genres, each genre under a different pen ...
Robinson Crusoe
''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tra ...
Paradise Regained
''Paradise Regained'' is a poem by English poet John Milton, first published in 1671. The volume in which it appeared also contained the poet's closet drama ''Samson Agonistes''. ''Paradise Regained'' is connected by name to his earlier and ...
The Three Musketeers
''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight ...
'' and '' The Count of Monte Cristo''. She liked books on history, geography, science, philosophy, religion, fiction, medicine and law. She had a great interest in reading about '' Anglo-Saxon dynasties''.
Notes
See also
*
First Jayalalithaa ministry
As the General Elections held on 15 June 1991 resulted in victory of AIADMK, the Governor appointed J. Jayalalithaa
Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Mi ...
*
Second Jayalalithaa ministry
After the General Elections held on 10 May 2001 the Governor appointed J. Jayalalithaa as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister appointed five more Members C. Ponnaiyan, Dr. M. Thambi Durai, D. Jaya ...
*
Third Jayalalithaa ministry
As O. Panneerselvam who was Chief Minister from 2 March 2002 resigned, Governor appointed J. Jayalalithaa as the Chief Minister to head the New Government and appointed 26 more ministers on the same day. It was her return to power as she had re ...
*
Fourth Jayalalithaa ministry
The Fourteenth legislative assembly election was held on 13 April 2011 to elect members from 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu. Results were released on 13 May 2011. Two major parties Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Mu ...
*
Fifth Jayalalithaa ministry
J. Jayalalithaa was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 23 May 2015. Earlier Jayalalithaa was charged of Rs 66.66 crore disproportionate assets case and forced to resign in the year 2014. O. Panneerselvam her trusted aide assumed the off ...
*
Sixth Jayalalithaa ministry
J. Jayalalithaa was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 23 May 2016. Two major political parties Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) faced the assembly election held on 16 May 2016 for ...
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...