Even after joining politics and making a mark in it, Jayalalithaa remained friends with many co-stars. Her colleagues speak about their association with her:
‘She reached sublime heights’
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Sowcar Janaki
I knew Jayalalithaa as Sandhya’s sweet-looking darling daughter. Sandhya and I worked in many films in Kannada and Telugu. I’ve known her since she was six or seven years old; she would come and play at home.
Her mother would leave her at my place and go to work. She was brilliant in school and rose to become a dynamic leader.
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My eldest daughter Yagna is a year older then her, and they went to the same school. Jaya looked like a doll even then, with her beautiful complexion. We worked in Oli Vilakku , the Tamil remake of Phool Aur Patthar . I did Meena Kumari’s role and she did Sashikala’s. She was a self-made woman.
She called us all home for lunch once, and we had such a good time. She knew I was a good cook and insisted I taste everything and tell her which dish was good. Around 50 dishes were served and I told her it was impossible to sample all of them.
At this artistes’ get-together, she gifted us saris. I gave her one too. I told her we felt honoured and she said ‘so am I’.
Whenever she did some good work, I would write to her. She preserved all those letters.
We did have a few differences in our film career, but we ignored them. Politically, in power or out, she was a queen. She reached such sublime heights. Look at her compassion for the poor. That is why the commoner is crying.
‘A life well-lived’
Jamuna
I like her a lot. When she invited us all to her house, it happened to be my birthday as well. I worked with her in only one film, M.S. Reddy’s Sri Krishna Vijayam . I was Satyabhama and she played Vasundhara. I don’t think she was just a glamorous star; she also did a lot of performance-oriented roles and good films.
I immensely admire her dynamism in politics. Even as I think of her now, I have tears in my eyes. She was a bold and highly intellectual person. Even on the sets, she would bring books and once her shot was over, she would start reading.
She has no one, and she dedicated her life to the poor. It was a life well-lived. Even though I left Chennai 50 years ago, she remembered to invite me to the artistes get-together at her house. She spoke in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam with all the artistes that day.
‘Highly intelligent’
K.R. Vijaya
I so much wanted to see her at the hospital but no one was allowed inside. I remember working in a play with her before we acted together in films. A very friendly person, she would visit me often and would insist that I visit her too.
I am in shock. That she is no more is something we can’t come to terms with. She was a woman who was associated with dignity and self-respect. A very strong woman, she would always be brief in her comments. Even if she said one word, it would be packed with meaning. She was well-read and intelligent. Her death is a big loss to the nation.
‘A gifted woman’
Sharada
I acted with her in Premalu Pellillu and was impressed with her style of walking; she had such dignity. I have photos of her taken when she was studying in my phone.
We read about Jhansi Rani, but we saw her in this generation in the form of Jayalalithaa. She was a courageous and gifted woman. What a life she lived! As an artiste, she had a good memory and would remember lengthy dialogues. All the success did not come easy. One must note that irrespective of the parties they belong to, people admire her and admit that she was a dynamic personality.