Jayalalithaa the Actor: Films That Mirrored Her Versatility

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who was in hospital for the last two months, suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away on Monday.

The charismatic leader was born on February 24, 1948, in Mysore. Fondly called Amma, Jayalalithaa belonged to a Brahmin family, and originally hailed from Karnataka.

Jayalalithaa, who was a political giant, also enjoyed an undeniable presence in the film industry down South.

Often referred to as a revolutionary leader, Jayalalithaa was also seen in a Bollywood films. She has done only one Hindi film as a protagonist. This was a 1968 Bollywood project called Izzat which featured Dharmendra in a double role.

She featured in 28 films with Tamil superstar MGR who later launched the AIADMK. Here's a quick lowdown on her most talked about/popular films:

Epistle

Epistle was the only English movie in which Jayalalithaa was seen during her entire career. Epistle, also the first film that she started shooting for, was produced by Shankar Giri, former Indian President VV Giri’s son.

The 1966 release couldn’t do well with the public. Hence, Giri decided to re-release it after Jayalalithaa gained popularity for films “Chinnada Gombe" in Kannada and “Vennira Aadai" in Tamil.

Vennira Aadai (1965)

Jayalalithaa’s debut film Vennira Aadai was released in 1965. It was this film that kicked off her journey to stardom. A love triangle which featured Sreekanth, Nirmala and Jayalalithaa (as a tenager) in key roles, the film turned out to be a huge success, commercially.

Aayirathil Oruvan (1965)

This project was special as it featured Jayalalithaa opposite MGR. While Jayalalithaa essayed the role of a princess that hailed from Chola dynasty, MGR was seen in the role of an uncompromising doctor. The film found several takers and was screened for 100 days in Chennai.

Adimai Penn (1969)

With the realm of kings and queens playing the backdrop, the film featured Jayalalithaa as a princess who is imprisoned and is rescued by King Vengaiyan (MGR).

Ragasiya Police 115 (1968)

Yet another film opposite MGR. This crime and spy thriller featured MGR in the role of a Research & Analysis Wing officer, who was referred to by his code name, 115. Jayalalithaa wowed once again. In this film she essayed the character – Neela.

Yaar Nee (1966)

Remember Hindi film Who Kaun thi ()1964? Yaar Nee was an official Tamil remake of the popular Hindi film. It featured Jayalalithaa and Jaishankar as Sandhna and Manoj Kumar. If the original film was a hit, so was the Tamil version.

Pattikada Pattanama (1972)

With the clash between lifestyles and values attached to the rural and urban world playing the main theme, the film managed to be a Box Office hit in 1972. Jayalalithaa was seen as a girl who is born and brought up in a city and gets into troubles, courtesy a rural village overlord. This film strengthened Jayalalithaa’s standing as an actor who could do both fantasy/mythological films with as much ease as social films.

Kandan Karunai (1967)

This 1967 release was a mythological story. Based on the life of Lord Muruga, it featured Jayalalithaa as Valli, one of the wives to Lord Muruga. The film also had legendary Sivaji Ganeshan playing the lead role.

En Annan (1970)

Directed by Pa Neelakandhan, the film featured M. G. Ramachandran, J Jayalalitha, M. N. Nambiar, S. A. Ashokan, Cho Ramaswamy in key roles. It was a remake of Telugu film Poola Rangadu (24 November 1967) which was directed by Adurthi Subba Rao, with A.N.R. and Jamuna.

SuryaKanthi (1973)

Jayalalithaa and Muthuraman played the main lead in this film which had the ego issues playing the main theme. It was just another project that showed Jayalalithaa’s prowess as an actress. She proved she didn’t face much difficulty in shifting to different genres.

Arasa Kattalai (1967)

The 1967 Tamil Arasa Kattalai which was written and directed by M. G. Chakrapani, featured M G Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa in key roles. Set against the backdrop of the world of kings and queens, Jayalalithaa was seen in the role of princess Maghana. The story, which dealt with the core issue of good triumphing evil, made headlines for its incredible dialogues and songs.