The Jaya we never knew: ‘Having grown up fatherless, she was drawn to father figures and MGR’

Growing up without a father, Jayalalithaa felt drawn to people much older than her. That is why she grew close to MGR, says writer and activist Sivasankari, who was a close friend to ‘Ammu’ during her teenage years.

“She yearned for a father figure throughout her life since she was deprived of that relationship when she was a baby. Even as a teen, she enjoyed conversing with those much elder to her. That’s how her relationship with MGR became really special; he took care of Jayalalithaa and her life,” she said.

“She, however, was hurt and betrayed by those close to her and often confided in me that she wanted to be in a relationship, to marry and have a family,” Sivasankari added.

Having been introduced to each other thanks to their common love for dance, Jayalalithaa and Sivasankari quickly formed a strong bond, so much so that the former sent the writer a tape recording of her first public speech, the now-iconic ‘Penin Perumai’ from Cuddalore in 1983, seeking a second opinion.

She also dismissed rumours of Jayalalithaa’s ‘secret’ pregnancy. “In between her two careers as an actor and then as a politician, she put on a lot of weight. This wasn’t because she was carrying a child, but due to depression. She was temperamental and possessive; when things didn’t go her way, she was prone to order even a kilo of sweets and eat all of it herself.”

The episode also shed light on the most controversial relationship Jayalalithaa shared in her life, that with VK Sasikala, who was introduced to her by TN’s first woman collector VS Chandralekha.

Sasikala left everything, even her family behind to go reside with Jayalalithaa, which is exactly the kind of ‘unconditional love’ what the latter wished for. Other residents at Veda Nilayam added that the two of them even wore similar nighties and would laugh when they mistakenly wore each other’s clothes. “Jayalalithaa would even take care of Sasikala when she was unwell. They called each other ‘vaa-da’ and ‘po-da’ only. In 1996, Jayalalithaa even prayed daily for Sasikala’s release from jail.”

“All the rumours about them sharing a sour relationship is false. They were best friends, and nothing more,” Sivasankari said.

TTV Dhinakaran also said that MGR approved of the friendship wholly and would even relay personal news to Jayalalithaa only through Sasikala. The segment follows how the bond led to Jayalalithaa adopting Sasikala’s relative Sudhakaran as her foster son, the expulsion of Sasikala from the party and her eventual acceptance.

“I do not have a family!” were the famous words reiterated by Jayalalithaa in all her political speeches, but the upcoming episode of J Jayalalithaa Enum Naan looks at tender moments she shared with her extended family of grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts growing up. Jayalalithaa’s relative shed light on the transformation of her Poes Garden residence Veda Nilayam as her political bastion. Interesting anecdotes from the housewarming ceremony of Veda Nilayam are discussed by them. They speak of a marriage alliance that did not come to fruition. They also relate the dilemmas Jayalalithaa faced before her entry into politics and their heartbreak at the estrangement they faced from her after she became ADMK’s “Amma” and no longer the “Ammu” they knew.