The Amma legend

Ramakrishna Upadhya In the seven decades since Independence, India has seen a handful of actors/actresses who made a successful transition from the field of cinema to politics, but after the demise of J Jayalalithaa, the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, we are unlikely to see someone more charismatic, popular, assertive, egalitarian and yet controversial as the Iron Lady of Chennai at the political helm for a long time to come
For 75 days from the time Jayalalithaa was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai, as the complications arising out of renal failure got more acute, the nation's attention was transfixed on the 'Amma's' health. When she finally breathed her last at a relatively young age of 68, the sea of humanity and the pantheon of national leaders who came to pay their last respects to her,

In one of her rare interviews, she had said: "I hated films, but my mother pushed me into it; I hated politics, but MGR pushed me to enter politics." But, she was so focused in whatever she did that she rose to great heights in both the fields, swimming against considerable odds.

had not been seen in this country since the death of Indira Gandhi.

As four-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who had twice come very close to playing an important role in national politics, Jayalalithaa had earned the respect and admiration of not only common people, but also some of her bitterest political rivals and critics. Through sheer determination, dedication, hard work and tenacity, she left an indelible mark in cinema as well as politics.

In one of her rare interviews, she had said: "I hated films, but my mother pushed me into it; I hated politics, but MGR pushed me to enter politics." But, she was so focused in whatever she did that she rose to great heights in both the fields, swimming against considerable odds.

Born in a middle-class Mandyam Iyengar Brahmin family at the temple town of Melkote in Karnataka, Jayalalithaa dreamt of becoming a lawyer just like her father Jayaram or Jethmalani, whom she admired. When her father died when she was very young, actress-mother Sandhya moved into Jaya's grandfather Rangaswamy Ieyngar's house in Bengaluru. Jaya studied at the Bishop Cotton's school till 4th standard, where she had the reputation of being both studious and naughty, before Sandhya moved to Madras to pursue her film career.

MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalitha Accompanying her mother to film studios, young Jaya had got opportunities to do some small roles as a child artiste, but at the age of 16, she got her big break with the film
'Vennira Adai' which was a huge success. Quick to spot her remarkable looks and talent, producer BR Panthulu cast Jaya opposite MG Ramachandran, already a mega star in his 50s in the film, 'Ayurathil Oruvan' which was a box office hit. MGR was so
smitten by Jaya's beauty and grace that over the next two decades he would insist with producers on casting Jaya, and the duo acted in another 27 films, making them the most celebrated pair in Tamil cinema.

Jayalalithaa's major drawback as a political leader was that she never encouraged or developed a second line of leadership in the party or the government, either because she would not trust anybody or no one came up to her expectation.

From then on, MGR changed Jaya's life for ever. Though there was an age difference of 35 years between them, Jaya virtually became MGR's shadow. It is said that he started controlling her life so much that he began to manage her film career and finances and even the clothes she could wear. They spent so much time together that in the film fraternity, she was referred to as 'Anni,' (elder brother's unofficial wife – the elder brother in this case being MGR). Jaya yearned for respectability by marrying MGR, but that didn't happen. She also acted in a number of Telugu films, and along with Shoban Babu, acquired a considerable fanfollowing. She fell in love with Shoban Babu and wanted to marry him, though he was already married, having a teen-aged son. It remains a mystery whether the two married or not. Some people say that they exchanged garlands in a temple, but the other version is that Shoban Babu ditched her and did not turn up for the marriage.

When the acting offers began to dry up, she reportedly briefly contemplated suicide. MGR had split from Karunanidhi, formed his own party called AIADMK and become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu in 1977. Five years later in 1982, Jayalalithaa went back to MGR, who made her propaganda secretary of the party and put her in charge of the mid-day meal scheme for schoolchildren, which was becoming popular.

It gave her the first taste of a populist programme and she was able to realise its value in garnering votes for the party. When MGR fell sick in 1984 and was hospitalised for long periods, Jaya took charge of extensive campaigning for the party. After MGR's death in 1987, other senior leaders of the party ganged up against Jaya and tried to prop up MGR's wife, Janaki, which led to a split in the AIADMK

Jayalalithaa became chief minister for the first time in 1991. She gained instant popularity but remained aloof from the party cadres. She was wary of men and their devices. Not having an immediate family to support her also did not help. That's when Sasikala and her entourage made their entry into her life, cutting off access to all other people. They began to misuse their proximity to the chief minister, which resulted in several scandals and ultimately, Jayalalithaa's defeat in the 1996 election.

arunanidhi tried to finish her off politically by foisting a number of cases and she even spent a month in jail. She was shaken badly and contemplated giving up politics. But as leader of the opposition, the humiliation she underwent in the Assembly hall when some DMK members virtually tried to disrobe her, made her all the more determined to come back and teach her detractors a lesson

M. Karunanidhi She returned as chief minister in 2001 and one of the first things she did was to get Karunanidhi arrested, at least for a brief period. Life's hard lessons had made her tougher and smarter. She introduced more populist programmes than the DMK had ever done and earned the gratitude of the people through their strict implementation.
Since 1987, the levers of power had alternated between the DMK and the AIADMK, but Jayalalithaa was able to emulate MGR and win two consecutive terms in 2011 and 2016. The legion of freebies from Amma canteen, Amma water, Amma salt, Amma pharmacy to colour TVs, grinders and laptops helped her rout her opponents, despite going it alone for the first time.
Being a woman and hailing from a Brahmin family, it was remarkable that she was able to take control of and successfully run a Dravidian party, which was built on an anti-Brahmin movement. She consistently and ferociously fought with Karnataka for Tamils' rights over the Cauvery river water, dispelling any notions that she might be soft on her native place. She was very fluent in Kannada, as also Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and English, but in public, she always used only Tamil, which she asserted, was her 'mother tongue.'
Jayalalithaa's major drawback as a political leader was that she never encouraged or developed a second line of leadership in the party or the government, either because she would not trust anybody or no one came up to her expectation. She perhaps left a void deliberately, for the circumstance to find its own ways, just as nobody gave her power and position on a platter.