Having the last laugh: Muthu |
Poetic justice! There is one person who has a satisfied smile on his face theses days. Muthu, or ‘MGR’ Muthu, was once a trusted personal assistant of former chief minister M.G. Ramachandran. He has spent 22 days in the same jail where his nemesis Jayalalitha is now cooling her haughty heels. Accused of carrying drugs by the former chief minister, he recently won the court case and was cleared of all charges. His association with Jayalalitha had started off on a good note. She was his employer for two years-from 1967 to 1969, when she was the reigning diva of Tamil cinema. "Jayalalitha’s mother Sandhya wanted a reliable manager-cum-personal security guard for her", says Muthu. "A producer recommended me." |
|
But her arrogance forced him to look for greener pastures elsewhere, and he joined MGR. In 1980 the lady came back into his life. She started calling him up to get an appointment with MGR, then the chief minister.
"Jayalalitha’s acting career was over by 1972," says Muthu. "In dire financial straits, she started calling up the T.Nagar office every day". He informed MGR about it, who asked him to find out what she wanted. "She insisted on meeting him personally. After much persuation, he granted her an audience and some money," recalls Muthu. He claims that although MGR did not really like her she persuaded him to draft her into the AIADMK and then as the propaganda secretary of the party in 1983. Muthu promptly left MGR who ignored his appeal against promoting Jayalalitha in the party. Jayalalitha who came to know of this never forgave him for it, he says. He made up with MGR on his return in 1985 after a long stay in the US on account of his illness. MGR was very perturbed about the complaints he was receiving from his party members about Jayalalitha. "In fact, he was seriously contemplating removing Jayalalitha from the party in 1987." Once Jayalalitha became the chief minister in 1991, Muthu says he was framed on a drugs charge. "On February 4, 1992, the police took me into custody and reported that I had 75 gm of ‘ganja’ on me." Today Muthu manages the MGR Memorial Exhibition at a building in T. Nagar which was MGR’s personal office from 1970 till the day he died in 1987. Though the exhibition was open in 1990 Jayalalitha never visited it. | |
