J Jayalalithaa was a young actor when she met leading star MG Ramachandran. (File)
Highlights
- Jayalalithaa died Monday night as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
- On-screen love-interest MGR was also her political mentor
- She was not allowed to privately pay respects after his death
A sea of weeping mourners has converged at the public hall in Chennai where J Jayalalithaa's body, draped in the flag, will be kept on a raised platform till about 4 pm. Thousands of police officers briefly formed chains earlier this morning to stop the heaving crowd from surging up the steps. The politician was serving her fourth term as Chief Minister when she died last night after a cardiac arrest. Amma or "mother" provoked impassioned displays of loyalty, with supporters tattooing her likeness on their faces and arms, and performing mass prayers and elaborate sacrifices in the hope of facilitating her recovery.
Here are 10 facts about one of India's most powerful politicians:
A bright student at a convent in Chennai, she was pushed into acting while in her teens by her mother, Sandhya, a stereotypical stage mother and actress.
She was a Rock Hudson fan. As a young actor, she met leading star MG Ramachandran.
"One-third of my life was dominated by my mother, the other part - a major one - was dominated by MGR," she once said in an interview, referring to Ramachandran. "One third remains, and this part of my life remains for myself."
The pair remained close until his death in 1987, when his wife and family denied Jayalalithaa permission to see his body.
A biography describes Jayalalithaa's grief when she went to pay her last respects to Ramachandran at a public hall. "She did not shed a tear. She did not wail. She stunned the onlookers and mourners by standing vigil by MGR's body for two days." The book says when she tried to follow the hearse on foot, she was pelted with cries of "prostitute" by those loyal to Ramachandran's wife.
But she quickly rose up the ranks of the AIADMK, the party founded by Ramachandran, to become a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1983, taking over as leader after her mentor's death before winning state elections in 1991 and becoming chief minister.
She was a polarizing figure, admired for her leadership - her party proudly referred to her as "India's Iron Lady" - and criticized for lavish displays of wealth , the source of which remains unclear despite multiple investigations.
A 1997 police raid on her properties netted 10,500 saris, 750 pairs of shoes and a 1.5-kilogram diamond-studded gold belt.
She steered Tamil Nadu to development and economic growth, making it one of India's richest states.
In 1992, nearly 50 people died in a stampede triggered by the huge crowd that gathered to witness her public bath in a religious festival.
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