Tributes paid to MGR

AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa along with the party leaders pays homage to former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran, on his 22nd death anniversary, at his memorial at Marina Beach in Chennai on Thursday. Photo : M Vedhan

Floral tributes were paid to AIADMK founder and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M G Ramachandran on his 22nd death anniversary on Thursday.

AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa led the actor-politician’s followers in paying homage at his memorial at the Marina here.

AIADMK activists garlanded his statues and portraits across the state.

Starting his acting career in the Original Boys drama company, MGR later entered tinsel town and became a household name with his family entertainers.

Portrayed in his films as saviour of the underprivileged which endeared him to the masses, MGR was the numero uno of Tamil cinema before he took the plunge into politics in 1953 joining the DMK.

He floated AIADMK in 1972 after his expulsion when he sought publicising the DMK’s financial details, angering the leadership. He became the Chief Minister in 1977, trouncing the Karunanidhi-led DMK and continued in the post till he he died following cardiac arrest in 1987.