Biografía

Daughter of Actress Sandhya whose original name was Vedavalli/Vedavathi.

Jayalalitha was niece of Vidyavathi who was an actress and whose original birth name was Ambujam/ Ambujavalli. Jaya was also the niece of Padmavalli who remained a housewife from 1958.

She was Chief minister of Tamil Nadu, India from 1991 to 1996, 2001-2006, 2011 to 2016. For a brief period in Sep 2014 to July 2015 and from September 2001 to March 2002; her party person O.Paneerselvam was chief minister of the state.

Popular Tamil actress turned politician.

After death of Jaya's father in 1950, Jaya'smother Vedavalli took her children Jaya Kumar and Jayalalithaa to Bangalore where her maternal grandparents lived and started working as a typist. Vedavallii's sister Ambujam/ Ambujavalli, was an air hostess in Madras since 1948 and had got some breaks in Tamil films from 1951. Ambujawali was working as an air hostess and was also acting in dramas and films using the screen name Vidyavathi. Ambujavalli encouraged Vedavallii to also come to Chennai and be part of theatre and films taking screen name of Sandhya. Hence Vedavalli came to Chennai to be actress since 1953 under the name Sandhya.

[on occasion of her 45th birthday in 1992] One-third of my life was dominated by my mother, Sandhya, who taught me everything about life, the other part a major one was dominated by M.G. Ramachandran as I had 28 hits with him and also followed his ideologies and dreams for Tamil Nadu. Two-third of my life is thus over. One third remains and this part of my life remains for myself but there are some responsibilities and duties to be fulfilled.Aim is to take Tamil Nadu to new heights as a Chief Minister.

I was born into a Tamil Brahmin family, an Iyenger family, and I was brought up in a typical orthodox way by my maternal grandparents, aunts and my mother.

[on her aunt Vidyavathi] My mother's younger sister, who was a very bold and adventurous sort. She first became an air hostess. That was considered something very daring and adventurous in those days. And after that, she became an actress.

[on whether she fell in love with actor and politician M.G.R.] I think everyone who met him fell in love with him. He was a charismatic figure.... He was a very warm and caring kind of person, and after mother died, he replaced her in my life. So he was everything to me. He was mother, father, friend, philosopher, guide, everything to me. He sort of took over my life. Its wrong to say I had any affair with him just because I had 28 hits with him. He was 31 years elder to me and was married person. I respected him. He was in no way a womaniser nor we were involved romantically off screen. He gave me very good films and good roles .Inspired me to work for public and be honest to my profession and not be corrupt.It was opposition and some section of media which published stories claiming we were attracted towards each other. I wish I had filed defemation case against such crooked wicked people back then. M G R was generous, dedicated towards his work and was peace lover. He appreciated art and wanted his public to enjoy their life. He wanted his countrymen to achieve their dreams. He had extremely positive outlook towards life and was highly optimistic.Wish he lived till his age of 100.

[on marriage] It just never happened. I did like the idea of marriage as any young girl would. Every young girl dreams of meeting the perfect man, meeting her Prince Charming, of marrying him and living happily ever after. I too had those dreams as a teenager, as a young girl. If my mother had got me married me off at the age of say eighteen, even if it was an arranged marriage, I would've settled down happily into domesticity and I would've been perfectly content looking after my home, raising children...but then life taught me that such things don't happen to everyone and it's unrealistic to expect happiness in life.I was the most in demand heroine from 1965-1977 and then started working for public in different ways from 1980. Do you think I would have ever achieved super stardom or would have become an actress if I had got married?No. I would have not got opportunity to serve public had I got married of after retiring as the lead female heroine in 1980 or had I got married instead of becoming actress by 1968.

Unnai Sutrum Ulagam (1977) - 600,000 INR

Thirumangalyam (undefined) - 500,000 INR

Anbu Thangai (1974) - 500,000 INR

Vandhale Magarasi (undefined) - 400,000 INR

Suryagandhi (1973) - 500,000 INR