Last updated:March 09, 2025, 18:54 IST

First Actress CM: Janaki Ramachandran, wife of MGR, took over the post of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for just 23 days. India’s first actress to travel from acting to politics became the Chief Minister.

First actress who became CM

There have been very few women in Indian politics who have traveled from acting to politics. There have been only two women in Tamil Nadu who served as the Chief Minister. The first of these was Janaki Ramachandran, whose term was only 23 days, while the second was Jayalalithaa, who took over the post for more than 14 years. Jayalalithaa was the longest Chief Minister in India, but Janaki Ramachandran also made a distinct identity in politics.

Story of artist becoming politician
Janaki Ramachandran was born in 1924 in Kerala. His full name was Vaikom Narayani Janki. His family was deeply associated with art and music. His cousin Papanasam Sivan was a famous Karnataka composer, from which Janaki’s tendency also turned towards music and dance. He showed deep interest in these arts since childhood.

Identification from Tamil cinema
Janaki’s father Rajagopal Iyer wrote songs for the film “Madras Mail” in 1936. He himself was also a musician. Due to his work, the whole family came to Chennai from Kerala. Meanwhile, Janaki stepped into the acting world and made an identity as an actress in Tamil cinema. He met famous actor and leader MG Ramachandran (MGR) and both got married in 1962.

23 days Chief Minister’s tenure
After the death of MGR, the power struggle started in the AIADMK party. Amidst this turmoil, Janaki Ramachandran was made the Chief Minister on 7 January 1988. However, his term lasted only for 23 days and on 30 January 1988 his government fell. After this, his role in politics decreased, but she left her mark in Indian political history.