MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa reigned over Tamil cinema in their heydays. The legendary actors had much more in common than their affinity to each other. Both of them became actors as teens to tide over their miserable and unsecure lives. They went on to become chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and rose to unchallenged positions in politics. MGR was 70 when he died. Jaya was 68 when she was laid to rest near her long-time companion. A quick revisit to their life and times.
Children of a different soil
Though they were hailed as the ultimate Tamil icons, both MGR and Jayalalithaa were born outside Tamil Nadu. MGR was born in Kandy in Sri Lanka and Jaya in Mandya in neighboring Karnataka.
Early migrants
Both of them were born in well-to-do families but fate scripted a twist in their tales. They lost their fathers at an early age. They were raised by their mothers. The families migrated to Tamil Nadu in search of better prospects. MGR had a brother, M G Chakrapani, and a sister named Thankam. Jayalalithaa had a brother, Jayakumar.
Also read: Jaya and MGR: A love-hate affair that changed the course of Tamil Nadu
Brilliant dropouts
MGR and Jaya were brilliant students at schools but both of them had to discontinue their studies for want of financial support.
Ambitious actors
They were drawn to cinema at an early age. The tinsel town offered them a livelihood. MGR made his debut at 19 and Jaya at 16. Both of them have at least 200 movies to their credit, many of them together. They have made their mark in all southern languages and even Hindi.
The Kerala connection
MGR and Jaya have acted in one Malayalam movie each. MGR in ‘Jenoa’ and Jaya in ‘Jesus’.
Accidental politicians
They were drawn into politics by their friends. MGR was originally leaning towards the Congress but C N Anna Durai encouraged him to join the DMK and used his star value to further the Dravida movement. When MGR parted ways with the DMK and formed the AIADMK, he wanted his co-star Jaya beside him.
Unchallenged leaders
Like MGR, Jaya rose to be the supreme leader of the party until her death. When MGR was alive, the party and the government it led had only one power center. Jaya ensured the same pattern. There was not even a distant second rung leadership in the party during the lifetimes of the two leaders.
Rookie chief ministers
Both of them became chief ministers without any experience as a minister. MGR was the first actor to be a chief minister in India. Jaya was the second actress to be a chief minister. (The first one was MGR’s wife Janaki, who was anointed for a brief time after his death.)
Patients at fag end
Both of them had been nagged by ailments. Naturally, they were ensured the best medical treatment. Incidentally, both of them breathed their last at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai.
United in death
MGR and Jaya lived up to almost the same age. MGR was 70 when he died. Jaya died at 68. Both of them died in December. The end came around midnight. The cause of the death was also the same – cardiac arrest. Both of them were laid to rest side by side on the Marina Beach in Chennai.
