Jayalalithaa was a force to be reckon with. She served six terms as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years between 1991 and 2016. And as we look back at her life with the Kangana Ranaut movie, Thalaivii, we realise that it was this interview that gave us real insight into her life. 

From talking about her childhood to her relationship with MGR, here are 13 things she revealed in the interview:

1. One of her treasured memories is waiting for her mother to read her English essay, which won her the first place. 

2. When she spoke of her relationship with her mother, and how she often felt lonely. 

3. When she revealed that she had a crush on Nari Contractor, the cricketer and actor Shammi Kapoor. And her favourite film was Junglee

4. When she sang ‘Aaja sanam‘ with Simi and it felt so warm and fuzzy. 

5. When she revealed that she was mocked in school by her wealthy classmates, because her mother was an actor. 

6. When she spoke of how her heart was in academic research and she was more of a behind the scenes person who might not have preferred acting. 

7. When she spoke of how she wept, raged and argued when her mother pressured her to become an actor, at the age of 16. But she did what she had to do to support her family because her mother wasn’t getting roles anymore. 

8. When she spoke of how she worked 6 shifts a day, even though she hated acting. 

9. When she revealed that Sunil Dutt came all the way to Madras to ask her to work in a Hindi film. But her mother couldn’t let her do it because her dates were booked. 

10. When she agreed that she had thought of ending her life at one point, but she fought it and overcame it. 

11. When she spoke of how after her mother died, MGR replaced her in her life. 

12. Jayalalithaa revealed that soon after MGR passed, she was ready to quit politics, but her party members would not let her. 

13. When she spoke of the day when she was attacked in assembly by MLAs and ministers, as they physically assaulted her. From pulling at her saree to tearing out her hair. 

You can watch the full interview here


All images are screenshots from the interview.