Dharmendra shares his memories with Jayalalithaa

Veteran actor Dharmendra, who was the only Bollywood star to share screen space with late actor-turned-politician Jayalalithaa, is deeply saddened with her demise.

Offering his condolences, the 80-year-old actor recalled the shooting days of his 1968-film 'Izzat,' which was Jayalalithaa's lone Bollywood appearance as a lead.

"I am deeply stirred. She was my costar in film 'Izzat.' We were shooting together in Kulu Manali for one and a half months and every moment spent with her was beautiful. The memories flashed back in front of my eyes in form of the movie. Her mother also accompanied us, she used to cook food," he told in heavy voice.

"When I got the news that she is sick, I prayed a lot for her well being. Earlier, whenever I used to go to Madras, I used to get in touch with her after my shooting. But it has been long that I met her as she got very busy as a politician and I too never tried to disturb her," he shared, adding, "Now when she's gone, we all pray that her soul may rest in peace."

Another actor Raza Murad, while sharing his thoughts on the late AIADMK chief, said the kind of emotional bond that she shared with the people of Tamil Nadu was incredible.

"No doubt she was a great artist but the kind of emotional connect she made with the people of Tamil Nadu as a politician was incredible. I have rarely seen people crying this much and hurting themselves this much on the demise of any politician. She had an emotional relation to each of them," he said.

The 66-year-old actor further said, "She did so many welfare works for the state, several times she was dethroned, she even went to jail but still she stood there like a strong rock."

Amma will be cremated will full state honours at Chennai's Marina beach today at 4:30 pm.

Meanwhile, a seven-day state mourning has been declared from today morning to mourn the death of the beloved five-time Chief Minister and a three-day holiday has also been announced for educational institutions in Tamil Nadu. The Central Government has also declared one-day mourning today.