Six yards that defined her life and career

Jayalalithaa made her debut with the film Vennira Aadai . The title, which translates into “white clothes”, was a bit of a future predictor. The ‘white’ part may have been off the mark, but Jaya’s choice of clothes has been as much of an enigma and topic of debate and discussion as the lady herself.

As an actor in the 1960s and ’70s, Jaya was a fashion icon. She rocked the figure-hugging kurtas, tightly-draped chiffon sarees and chic Western gowns, and was among the first South Indian actors to go sleeveless.

In the 1980s, as Jaya made her political debut, she stuck to the typical white cotton sarees trimmed with the black-and-red party colour. She managed to look stunning even in those.

Sarees have been part of Jaya’s life, through the ups and downs. A career-and-life-defining moment for her was the alleged incident in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 1989, when DMK leader Durai Murugan reportedly tugged at her saree. Jaya vowed to return to the Assembly only as Chief Minister, and subsequently made it happen.

In 1996, as the disproportionate assets case began to unfurl, Jaya’s 10,500 sarees, along with her 750 pairs of footwear, and innumerable watches and jewellery, had the State aflutter.

Her first stint as CM (1991-96) saw Jaya in heavy brocades and bright colours. And then there was the high-collared cape that none could decode. Some said it covered a bullet-proof vest. Others said it was to keep potential saree-tuggers at bay. Yet others said Jaya suffered from a skin disease, and the cape was meant to camouflage it. The lady herself had the simplest reason. “I like it,” she said.

One fine day, the cape vanished. Now, Jaya was on to plain sarees in solid colours, with simple embroidered borders, matched with tiny ear studs. Gradually, she narrowed down the colour range too, so that, in the last few years, people saw her only in a dark green saree with a tiny embroidered border.

Was green her favourite colour? Had an astrologer recommended it? People continued to guess even as she signed the swearing-in papers in 2015 with a green pen, in a green saree, a green emerald ring sparkling on her hand.

While her closest peer Mamata Banerjee always opted for a crumpled white saree so that the masses can identify themselves with her, Jaya had no such aspirations. Her aim was to look educated, wealthy and grand. Her followers adored her for that, and hoped that some of the good fortune that she so emanated would rub off on them, too.