{"id":50130,"date":"2016-12-05T18:09:04","date_gmt":"2016-12-05T23:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=50130"},"modified":"2016-12-05T22:14:53","modified_gmt":"2016-12-06T03:14:53","slug":"jayalalithaa-shone-as-an-actress-on-screen-playing-a-variety-of-roles-as-leading-lady","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=50130","title":{"rendered":"Actress Jayalalithaa Shone on Screen Playing a Variety of Roles as Leading Lady."},"content":{"rendered":"


\nBy<\/p>\n

Kavitha Muralidharan<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\u201cKaavalkaran\u201d\"

\u201cKaavalkaran\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

My first memory of watching J Jayalalithaa on screen was in the song \u201cNinaithen Vandhaai\u201d, from \u201cKaavalkaran\u201d. Even in the small box television set in which I was watching it, Jayalalithaa, dressed like an Egyptian princess, looked every bit regal. The graceful dance movements only added to her aura. She had something that not many heroines paired opposite the charismatic M G Ramachandran had. She was not just his shadow. She was a personality by herself, no matter what role she was playing.<\/p>\n

\""Vennira

“Vennira Aadai”<\/p><\/div>\n

From a shy and vulnerable 17 year old in \u201cVennira Aadai\u201d \u2013 her first Tamil movie \u2013 Jayalalithaa\u2019s evolution as an actor is in itself a story. \u201cVennira Aadai\u201d \u2013 where she plays a mentally unstable patient who falls in love with her psychiatrist \u2013 was proof enough for her histrionic talent. To carry a role of that kind at that age should have been a challenge but Jayalalithaa pulled it off with her characteristic \u00e9lan. The film was the launch pad for many actors but Jayalalithaa would outshine them to become the most successful debut of all.
\n
\n

\""Aayirathil

“Aayirathil Oruvan”<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Such was her on-screen presence that M G Ramachandran \u2013 already established as Tamil cinema\u2019s superstar then – chose her as his heroine for his movie \u201cAayirathil Oruvan\u201d. In the film, Jayalalithaa played the role of a princess who falls in love with a rival prince (MGR) enslaved by her family. \u201cAayirathil Oruvan\u201d turned out to be a super-hit and from then on began a partnership that would not only play a defining role in Jayalalithaa\u2019s life but alter the course of Tamil Nadu\u2019s political history. Jayalalithaa and MGR acted together in 28 films \u2013 the highest number of times MGR was paired with the same heroine.<\/p>\n

For the next decade or so, she was constantly seen with MGR and Sivaji Ganesan \u2013 the reigning stars of the time \u2013 donning a variety of roles. From a docile woman yearning for a family life to a Western-educated, \u201chaughty\u201d brat, there was no role that Jayalalithaa couldn\u2019t pull off.<\/p>\n

Thanks to her forceful personality, Jayalalithaa often landed roles that portrayed her as either a headstrong or independent woman. Nevertheless, she was determined to let the world know that she was no run-of-the-mill actor. She picked and chose roles that would offer her scope to perform. She didn\u2019t mind acting with actors who were of a lesser league when offered a substantial role. One such film, \u201cMuthu Chipi\u201d, featured the song \u201cThotta idam thulanga varum\u201d (whatever you touch will prosper) – a song that continues to reverberate in AIADMK meetings.<\/p>\n

\""Engirundho

“Engirundho Vandhaal”<\/p><\/div>\n

In \u201cEngirundho Vandhaal\u201d, she played a tirelessly patient caretaker of a mentally unstable Sivaji Ganesan. In \u201cSuryagandhi\u2019, she played the role of a wife who earns more than her husband (Muthuraman), a woman who is torn between her commitments to the family and her husband\u2019s burning jealousy.<\/p>\n

In \u201cSumathi en Sundari\u201d, she plays an actor who conceals her identity and gets married to Sivaji Ganesan. One of her finest performances, \u201cSumathi en Sundari\u201d saw her showcase a wide variety of emotions in a roller-coaster ride \u2013 from happiness to self-doubt, from desperation to sorrow. Several of her performances including the one in \u201cEngirundho Vandhaal\u201d and \u201cSuryagandhi\u201d saw her walking away with Filmfare or State film awards.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cSumathi

\u201cSumathi en Sundari\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

Jayalalithaa won the Tamil Nadu State film award for best actress in 1971 for her performance in \u201cThanga Gopuram\u201d where she marries a man as old as her father. \u201cAnadhai Aanandhan\u201d \u2013 loosely based on Oliver Twist \u2013 saw yet another stellar performance from her. In \u201cAdimai Penn\u201d, she played a role in which she educates and trains MGR (who is forced to live in a two feet cell) on the basics of life.
\n\u201cAdimai Penn\u201d was also her launch as a singer. \u201cAmma endraal anbu\u201d till date remains a popular song among AIADMK cadre and supporters, and not without a reason.<\/p>\n

Normally, such meaty roles were hard to come by for female actors. But Jayalalithaa was fond of defying the norm. Members of my family \u2013 ardent MGR-Jayalalithaa fans- would often recall how gossip columns had unusual titbits aboutJayalalithaa. That she looked arrogant and sat cross-legged in sets, and always carried an English novel with her. Unlike many female actors of her age, the persona of Jayalalithaa was also built by myths about her.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve often wondered if Jayalalithaa herself had carefully built the myths around her even when she was an actor. With her stunning looks and physical appeal, she perhaps had a reason to do so.
\nJayalalithaa was also a trendsetter in Tamil cinema. Perhaps the first one of that kind.<\/p>\n

She was the first heroine to wear a skirt on screen. She popularized a bottom-wear that has now come back in vogue as leggings. She wouldn\u2019t stick to a monotonous hairstyle. Experimentation was her forte. <\/p>\n

But Jayalalithaa also ensured that her experiments never affected the roles that she was playing. If anything, the roles were accentuated by her experiments in costumes and looks. <\/p>\n

If MGR carefully built his political career through later films of his, Jayalalithaa was irrefutably a part of it. If MGR played the role of a crusader for the rights of ordinary people, Jayalalithaa would play his able and intelligent love interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cNam Naadu\u201d released in 1968 was purportedly a film in which MGR chose to test his political waters. It had a song featuring Jayalalithaa greeting him for a political victory (Vaangaiya vaathiyar aiya). She was also the heroine of \u201cAnnamitta Kai\u201d \u2013 MGR\u2019s last movie while he was still with the DMK in 1972. He would soon launch AIADMK and continue to act in movies, several of which featured Jayalalithaa.<\/p>\n

\""Suryagandhi\u201d

“Suryagandhi\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

While some heroines would often speak about how MGR offered them a chance to enter the political arena, it was Jayalalithaa who was intelligent enough to grab the opportunity and make it her own.<\/p>\n

Like Bhanumathi before her and much later Ramya Krishnan, Jayalalithaa had a strong personality that sometimes overshadowed her male leads. It showed on screen too. Such heroines were rare in the male-dominated world of Tamil cinema and were largely relegated to negative, taming-the-shrew kind of roles. <\/p>\n

But Jayalalithaa stood out. She had remarkable intelligence to match her strong personality. She perhaps wanted to be remembered for good roles. And she did a slew of them. <\/p>\n

Courtesy: The News Minute<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kavitha Muralidharan My first memory of watching J Jayalalithaa on screen was in the song \u201cNinaithen Vandhaai\u201d, from \u201cKaavalkaran\u201d. Even in the small box television set in which I was watching it, Jayalalithaa, dressed like an Egyptian princess, looked every bit regal. The graceful dance movements only added to her aura. She had something …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Actress Jayalalithaa Shone on Screen Playing a Variety of Roles as Leading Lady.’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50130"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50130"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50144,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50130\/revisions\/50144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}