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The Jaya we never knew: ‘She was a huge mimic, used to enjoy imitating MK a lot’
Though two years have passed since the demise of former CM J Jayalalithaa, there are controversies that still surround her life. Despite efforts in the past to document her entire life history, important chapters of her life have still remained in the dark.
By
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Chennai
They might have been arch political rivals for several decades, but J Jayalalithaa’s favourite pastime was mimicking Kalaignar Karunanidhi in her household, much to the bemusement of everyone around her.
In the second episode of Thanthi TV’s Jayalalithaa Enum Naan, Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dhinakaran and niece Prabha Sivakumar reveal that she used to imitate Karunanidhi’s expressions and words, especially from that momentous day on March 25, 1989, when Jayalalithaa was assaulted in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, and left with bleeding wounds and a torn saree. “She made us recall that incident in a funny manner, and her mimicry was perfect,” they add.
There is also insight into Jayalalithaa being extremely devout, prompt with poojas and memorising slokas, with her favourite God being Anjaneyar, be it religiously watching the Jai Hanuman serial without fail (even during her time at Apollo Hospitals) or stopping mid-way during trips to feed bananas to monkeys loitering on the roads!
Veda Nilayam residents also speak about how the former Tamil Nadu CM was a huge foodie with a sweet tooth, especially during her favourite festivals like Varalakshmi Nombu, Navaratri and Deepavali. Incidentally, she loved bursting of crackers and would sit outside her house for four hours at a stretch watching the sky light up. “Once, a snake suddenly appeared before us while we were in the midst of celebrating with crackers, and as the security guards freaked out, she just calmly laughed and said it won’t hurt anyone,” Dr Sivakumar recalls.
“When PM Modi visited our house, she wanted him to have a south Indian feast, and emphasised on dishes like appams and idiyappams... there was a banana leaf the size of a full-grown man laid out in front of him! Amma used to eat all kinds of food, but after her jail term, converted into a vegetarian,” they say.
Prabha and cook Rajam Ammal also reveal that Jayalalithaa barely slept for three-and-a-half hours a day most of her life and was up by 4am; after which she would ring the bell by her bedside and get ready immediately.
Coming from the world of cinema, though Jayalalithaa constantly listened to old classics on her transistor, she rarely watched current films. “Her favourite, however, was Jayam Ravi and she loved his film Deepavali. She also enjoyed Simran and Rambha’s dancing and Vadivelu’s comedy. “Her favourite film dialogue was ‘Vaangana Vanakangana’ from the Vijay-film Thalaivaa. She had a blast referring to our son Karthik with that line whenever she saw him,” Prabha laughs.
Episode 3: When documents reveal if Komalavalli was Jaya’s real name
The most recent controversy surrounding Jayalalithaa was whether her real name was Komalavalli. Did she ever go by that name? In the upcoming episode, the documentary J Jayalalithaa Enum Naan uncovers the truth with documents to support it. Was Jayalalithaa Tamil? Telugu? or a Kannadiga? What was her actual place of birth? A bond between Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa that is hitherto unknown to the public, the mysterious death of Jayalalithaa’s father, the first time Jayalalithaa went on stage and her tearful recollection of a close relative are some of the interesting anecdotes in the documentary
The 3nd part of the documentary J Jayalalithaa Enum Naan , will air on Wednesday from 9 pm to 10 pm on Thanthi TV
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