Before former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa turned Amma for the masses, she made her mark as a stellar actor and performer in the Indian film industry.
Jayalalithaa made her debut in the Kannada film “Chinnada Gombe” at the age of 15, before making her mark in Tamil cinema with the film “Vennira Aadai” in 1965. After a couple of flops, there was only success in her path.
In a film career spanning three decades, the charismatic leader worked in over 140 films, several of them with superstar MG Ramachandran. Although he was 31 years older than her, the pair shared great on screen chemistry, which later translated to political success.
Author Vaasanthi, in her book "Amma", quotes her stating in an interview, "There was no intermediate or struggling period for me. Overnight I was famous and fabulously successful, the lead heroine in two languages, Tamil and Telugu."