A profile: Jayalalithaa Jayaram, one of the most colourful politicians of India

Jayalalithaa Jayaram has had a very colourful and controversial political life. She is Tamil Nadu's second female Chief Minister and was elected for the position four times.

Born six months after Independence on February 24 1948, Jayalalithaa was destined for cinema and politics. As a young girl, Jayalalithaa was a bright student, she excelled at school and was offered a government scholarship to pursue further education. Her academic career looked promising but a role in film Vennira Aadai changed her life.

Her versatile acting and expertise in various forms of classical dance made her one of the most celebrated icons in South Indian cinema. She acted in 140 films , including Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, and her prolific acting acumen eventually won her the title of queen of Tamil Cinema.

After over a decade-long career in cinema, she turned to politics in the early 1980s. Many believe that her career in politics began because of Tamil superstar and former state Chief Minister MG Ramachandaran (MGR), since Jayalalithaa had acted in several movies with him. However, she denies the speculations, saying the decision to enter politics was her own.

After the death of MGR in 1987, Jayalalithaa was elected the chief minister of Tamil Nadu in 1991. Leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party, Jayalalithaa, fondly called Amma by many, saw many ups and downs in her political career.

The beginning of her rule in the state witnessed some of the best health programmes in Tamil Nadu. However, she gradually got mired in controversies for abuse of power and corruption, and was consequently defeated in 1996. She was subsequently convicted and arrested for multiple corruption and scam cases. After her alleged involvement in the corruption cases, her properties were raided and the authorities seized her assets, including around 10,500 saris, 750 pairs of footwear and a 1.5 kg diamond-studded gold waist belt. 

In the next 14 years, the political star saw several upheavals where the disproportionate assets case against her saw no end. However she was resilient to make a comeback and was elected the chief minister three more times during the span. A Special Court pronounced its judgement in 2014 and she was subsequently convicted. The AIADMK leader was finally acquitted of the 19-year case against her in 2015 and resumed her position as the state head.

The politician was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Chennai on September 22, 2016 after she complained of fever and dehydration. After a couple of weeks, the Apollo Hospitals on October 2 said that she was being treated for "infection" and was "responding well to treatment". However, things took a turn for the worse when authorities on October 10 said that she was under "respiratory support."

During her month-long battle with the illness in the hospital, she remained the chief minister although her portfolios were allocated to state Finance Minister O Panneerselvam by Tamil Nadu Governor. The AIADMK party on November 20 assured people that the CM was going to return home soon. 

On December 4, an AIIMS expert team declared that Jayalalithaa had completely recovered after months of hospitalisation. However, hours later, on Sunday night, it was declared that the Tamil Nadu CM had suffered a cardiac arrest.

Her condition is said to be critical, and all the MLAs of her party have been asked to assemble at the hospital.