Jayalalithaa used to cook for us: Dharmendra 

The fanfare enjoyed by south supestars can almost never be emulated in the Hindi film industry. Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, who passed away last night in Chennai, was a superstar in her hey days who also had a taste of stardom in Hindi cinema.

The former South cinema superstar was cast alongside machoman Dharmendra in director T Prakash Rao’s Izzat. Tanuja was the lead heroine, but Jayalalithaa played a tribal belle Jhumki, who falls in love with Shekhar (Dharmendra). Jayalalitha was appreciated for her performance, but Izzat would remain her lone Hindi film. 

As Tamil Nadu and other states mourn the loss of their leader, veteran actor Dharmendra paid tribute to the former actress and friend. 

“Her came death as a huge shock for all of us. I’m still trying to come to grips with the fact that’s she’s no longer with us. I had the privilege of working with her in Izzat. We had a great time shooting for the film in Kullu Manali. She was well spoken, articulate. She read a lot of books, at times she even cooked for us. Often you’d find her reading, I would ask what she was reading and she would tell me all about them,” Dharmendra told India Today Television.

When asked whether he remained in touch with the former actor after Izzat, Dharmendra replied, “Yes, we did speak a few times. After Izzat, I’d shot in Madras several times. Either I or she used to call, and we use to get together for dinner, have some great conversations. However, once she got active with her political career, it was impossible for her to bide time. I, too, didn’t bother her much then. It’s very difficult to talk much now. May her soul rest in peace.”