Born on February 24 in Mandya District, Karnataka, Jayalalithaa was a popular Tamil superstar. Her journey from 'The queen of Tamil Cinema' to one of the most popular politicians in South India is more dramatic than a typical Bollywood flick. Though she was born in a well to do family she later started working in films to support her family.
Jayalalithaa's name was derived from the two houses she resided in Mysore, 'Jaya Vilas' and 'Lalitha Vilas'. Jaya excelled in academics and was a state topper in her grade 10. She made her acting debut at the age of 15 in a Kannada movie called 'Sri Shaila Magtame' in 1961.
Amma went on to act in more than 140 films out of which 120 were big hits. In 1968, she starred opposite Bollywood superstar Dharmendra in the movie 'Izzat'. During her movie career she was a huge fan of Shoban Babu. In an interview she has also confessed of having a crush on Cricketer Nari Contractor and actor Shammi Kapoor.
It was Marudhur Gopalan Ramachandran, also known as MGR, who introduced Amma into politics. MGR served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for three successive terms and the duo has also acted in more than 12 films together.
Jayalalitha was an avid reader and good Tamil writer. She was a regular writer in a Tamil weekly by the author name ‘Thai’. Her foster son’s lavish wedding was attended by more than 1,50,000 guests and holds a Guinness Book of World Record for being the largest wedding banquet.
Jayalalitha served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for over sixteen years. The iconic leader breathed her last on December 5, 2016 owing to a cardiac arrest.
