CHENNAI: She is one of the most volatile personalities in Indian politics. Her mother was the well-known actress Sandhya, who named her Komalavalli.
Born in Mysore in 1948, she is today better known by her screen name Jayaram Jayalalithaa. She was educated at Bishop Cotton Girls’ High School in Bangalore and passed her matriculation exam from the Presentation Convent Church Park in Chennai in 1964.
She is proficient in at least five languages. Jayalalithaa’s first movie was the Kannada film Chinnada Gombe and she shot to fame with the Telugu film Manushulu Mamathalu.
In Tamil, she made her mark as a young widow in the film Vennira Aadai. She was matinee idol-turned chief minister MG Ramachandran’s heroine in 28 films.
MGR introduced her to AIADMK in 1981 and made her the party’s propaganda secretary in 1983. He sent her to the Rajya Sabha in 1984. MGR was hospitalised in October 1984, and since then Jayalalitha has steered the AIADMK, controlling a split in the party and outbidding MGR’s wife Janaki, when MGR died in 1987.
Jayalalithaa rode the sympathy wave and was elected to the assembly in 1989 and became the first woman leader of the opposition. In 1991, following Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, Jayalalithaa was propelled to victory and became the first elected woman chief minister of Tamil Nadu.
Jayalalithaa’s first term was known for its extravaganza and sycophancy. A coterie had grown around her, which friend N Sasikala and nephew Sudhakaran, known as Jayalalithaa’s adopted son.
After she lost in May 1996, the DMK government filed at least 40 corruption cases against her. Cleared by the courts of corruption charges, Jayalalitha returned to power in 2001. Her second term has been no less controversial.
She got Karunanidhi and the ailing Murasoli Maran jailed on corruption charges, leading to a nationwide row. She arrested MDMK leader Vaiko under POTA and kept him in jail for 19 months. Then, without batting an eyelid, she made him the AIADMK’s chief ally. Two achievements, however, shine through: killing of bandit Veerappan and rehabilitation work after tsunami.
