Jayaram Jayalalithaa, who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu six times for over fourteen years, ruled the hearts of people till her last breath. Jaya is known to the world as the leader of masses and charismatic actress. Undoubtedly, her demise on December 5, 2016, shook the entire nation. On the occasion of her 72nd birthday, here are some lesser-known and interesting facts about 'Amma':
- Jayalalithaa was born on February 24 in the year 1948, at Melukote, Mandya district, then in Mysore State (now Karnataka).
- She was given her personal name Jayalalithaa when she turned one. It is said that she got her name from the names of two houses where she stayed in Mysore. One was 'Jaya Vilas' and the other 'Lalitha Vilas'.
- Jayalalithaa learned Bharatnatyam when she was just 3.
- Jayalalithaa was forced to join the Tamil Film industry by her actress mother Sandhya (Real Name-Vedavathi) at the age of 15. She was still a student and a state level topper when she joined acting.
- Jayalalithaa wanted to be a lawyer but her debut film was so successful that she immediately became a well-known face. Jaya’s first movie was released as an ‘adult only’. As she was only 15, and under aged, she herself couldn’t watch her first movie.
- As a Chief Minister, she only drew Re 1 as salary. Jaya refused to accept her first salary cheque as Chief Minister by saying that she had “abundant source of income and she does not need a salary”. On being told that she should receive a salary as public servant, she accepted a salary of Rs.1/-.
- Amma, in the year 1995, during her first term as Chief Minister, organised a lavish wedding for her ‘foster son’ Sudhagaran. As per Guinness record, over 1,50,000 guests were invited to the wedding at a 50-acre ground in Chennai.
- The popular Tamil Nadu CM once attended the mahamakam festival in Kumbakonam, the Kumbh Mela of South India. A huge crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of Amma, gathered at the site, resulting in a stampede, causing 50 deaths.
- Jayalalitha is an avid reader and writer of English. She mastered English, Hindi and Tamil languages, she even sang Hindi songs in an interview with popular scribe Simi Grewal.
- Jaya appeared in 85 Tamil movies. However, she also did one Hindi movie, ‘Izzat’, opposite Dharmendra, which was also a hit. The actor remembered his time the politician.
- She was also forced into politics by his co-star and mentor MGR, who was the patriarch of DMK. She was made the propaganda secretary and was nominated to Rajya Sabha upon her joing.
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