Today, we will tell you about a charismatic actress of South Cinema who neither found love nor was married but she fulfilled the duty of being an unmarried mother with utmost love. This actress fell in love with a married man, the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu. The actress also proposed marriage to him. The former CM could not accept the proposal but thanks to him, she succeeded a lot in her life. Neither the love of the actress was accepted nor she ever got married but, she spent her entire life as an unmarried mother to her son and a god-like figure for her fans.
The actress was born on February 24, 1948, to Jayaram and Vedavalli (Sandhya) in present-day Karnataka. She had a brother named Jayakumar. She was young when he father left her. Her mother brought her up, and at her behest, she joined the film industry to support her family.
In her career spanning over 20 years, this actress worked in more than 140 films mainly in the Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada languages. She not only emerged as the top actress of South Cinema but also as one of the great personalities of India. Despite achieving so much success in films and politics, this actress was always in the headlines for her personal life, especially for her affair with MG Ramachandran, popularly known as 'M.G.R.', former CM of Tamil Nadu.
The actress we are talking about today is Jayalalithaa who was not only a superstar of South Cinema but also served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. She was also the 5th and longest-serving general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Among her followers, she was popularly known as "Amma" (Mother) and "Puratchi Thalaivi" (Revolutionary leader).
Jayalalithaa earned a lot of name in politics and acting but she grabbed most headlines for her affair with actor-turned-politician MG Ramachandran (MGR). When MGR was an actor, he gave 28 hit films with Jayalalithaa and later became the guiding light in her political journey.
The story of Jayalalithaa's entry into politics is interesting. When she was at the peak of her film career, she reportedly fell in love with veteran actor Sobhan Babu. They were often seen together in film parties. Sobhan Babu was married at the time. Despite knowing that, Jayalalithaa proposed to him for marriage. Jayalalithaa's first film with Sobhan Babu titled 'Doctor Babu' proved to be her last film. MGR, who was close to Jayalalithaa, was active in politics and advised the actress to enter politics.
In 1982, when MGR was chief minister, Jayalalithaa joined the AIADMK, the party he founded. Seeing her growing stature in the party, people from both the opposition and the party started targeting her. But, Jayalalithaa followed her heart and expressed her desire to marry the already-married MGR. He could never give her the status of being his wife.
Jayalalithaa hoped to live with MGR who was 31 years her senior and already married. She planned her marriage several times but MGR always backed out. Her greatest ambition and wish in life was to be with the man she loved, but, unfortunately, it was never fulfilled.
There were also rumours that Jayalalithaa's marriage with her family friend's son Arun Kumar was imminent. But, her desire to get married remained unfulfilled throughout her life. She understood that love and marriage were not in her destiny. In 1995, Jayalalithaa's friend Sasikala's nephew Sudhakaran was engaged to the youngest daughter of Sivaji Ganesan. Jayalalithaa was CM by this time and declared that Sudhakaran would be adopted as her foster son and that she would be performing his marriage as his mother. In later years, Jayalalithaa disowned Sudhakaran as her foster son.
MGR's guidance was so influential in Jayalalithaa's life that 4 years after his death, she emerged as the top leader in Tamil Nadu politics. She assumed the post of Chief Minister for the first time in 1991. She became the youngest Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and held the post of CM for six terms, dedicating her life to the poor. However, Jayalalithaa's life, either personal or political, was always mired in controversies.
In December 2016, at the age of 68, Jayalalithaa died of a cardiac arrest. She became the first female chief minister to die in office in India.
READ | Meet woman who is daughter-in-law of top cricketer, sister is star player, net worth is Rs 300 crore, her business is..
