Pics: An actress who 'hated' the limelight, worked in over 140 films

Much before she won over people in her political avatar, J. Jayalalithaa was the uncrowned queen and a very popular pin-up star of Tamil cinema during 1960s and 1970s. For all her reluctance to be an actor, her journey as one of the leading luminaries of south Indian cinema is more dramatic than any film script.Though born in the lap of luxury, bad times fell upon the family when Jayalalithaa was very young, forcing her to follow her mother's footsteps into acting in order to support the family.