Commissioned both by the Tamil film industry and by local political parties, hoardings (ranging from 10ft by 20ft to 10ft by 120ft) are stretched canvases that depict animated, brilliantly hued scenes; they are usually accompanied by towering of film-stars and politicians hand-painted on plywood board, anywhere from 20ft to 70ft in height and occasionally higher. The imagery is often enhanced with additional attachments of woods, papier-mache and plastic.

Despite the labour and large sums of money invested in these constructions, they are highly ephemeral. Film advertisements remain on site only as long as the film continues to be shown in the city, usually between two weeks to threemonths; and political advertisements are displayed for just two to five days, the duration of a party celebration or a rally. However, this ephemerality captures the attention of viewers by providing continuously changing spectacles.

While the co-mingling of cinema and politics in India is frequently highlighted by popular media, the topic has received scant analytical attention from scholars. In this essay that traces the evolution of the public image of ex-Tamil Nadu chief minister, Jayalalitha Jayaram, from film star to party leader to popular deity, I offer an interpretation of the phenomenon.

It is possible to identify three phases in the propaganda images of Jayalalitha: in the first she is the devoted follower of MGR, in the second she is victorious and self-sufficient, in the third her status is that of an icon. While campaigning for leadership of Tamil Nadu, propaganda images of Jayalalitha prominently displayed her dependency on the late MGR.

Indeed from the very beginning of her politicalcareer, Jayalalitha's public images emphasise her special relationship to MGR as his co-star, and chosen successor. Jayalalitha began acting in films in 1964 but she became a star only when she was cast opposite MGR in the film Aayiruthil Onvan (One in a Thousand) in 1965. During the next six years, till 1971, she co-starred with MGR in approximately 20 films.

In 1970, MGR wanted to introduce his protege to the masses but his suggestion was strongly opposed by his peers in the party. A decade later, as the invincible leader of Tamil Nadu, MGR decided to include Jayalalitha in his cabinet. Although she had given up her film career by then, Jayalalitha's cinematic association with MGR allowed her to rapidly supersede members who had risen up within party ranks over several years.

Not surprisingly, her early public appearances on political platform were reminiscent of film sequences. Once at the behest of MGR, Jayalalitha proceeded to the venue of the party meeting, perched atop a float shaped like apeacock, with several senior party ministers also on the float but at a lower level.

However, MGR's support, which had been quite erratic, ceased altogether in 1984 when he fell seriously ill, and Jayalalitha's numerous enemies within the party prevented her from resuming contact with the ailing leader. Undeterred, Jayalalitha returned to prominence in a most dramatic manner. At MGR's highly publicised state funeral in 1988, she managed to position herself by the leader's body. In another photograph widely disseminated in the media, Jayalalitha stands in a prayerful pose, with folded hands, looking up respectfully at a garlanded picture of MGR.

In the cut-outs from this first, pre-election phase, Jayalalitha's image is most frequently displayed in conjunction with that of MGR. Often her body is turned towards the mentor with hands folded in a gesture of respect and reverence. The message of these images was reiterated in her campaign speeches where, much to the chagrin of the press that wanted her toaddress "real issues", her refrain was that she "would bring back MGR's rule."Whereas images in the first phase often depicted Jayalalitha's body in movement, stepping forward, turning, gesticulating, in the second-phase of cut-outs her position is always strictly frontal. The images are almost monolithic, for apart from her face, the only part that is exposed are her clasped hands that she holds close to her body.

Occasionally she lifts her arm slightly in a gesture of victory or benediction. Interestingly, in these images the impression of self-sufficiency is conveyed by the suppression of her feminity.

In some of the most recent publicity images of the leader, the iconic stance of the second phase has become literalised by the depiction of Jayalalitha as a deity. Jayalalitha's deification was initiated shortly before she won the Tamil Nadu elections in 1991. On the occasion of Jayalalitha's birthday in February 1995, the city of Madras was plastered with posters depicting the leader in the guise ofdivinities such as Adi Parasakthi and the Virgin Mary. The images provoked a furore from opposition parties and from sections of Christian communities. As a result, Jayalalitha ordered her party members to remove the posters shortly after they were pasted.

We see that Jayalalitha's ability to meld the visual cultures of cinema and popular religion with portrait images of herself, that are disseminated widely through the medium of cut-outs, greatly enhanced her charismatic hold over the Tamil populace. Jayalalitha's mentor, MGR, had already proved the success of this strategy. However, whereas MGR was able to directly translate his film image into politics, as a female film star, she had to transcend that image.

Jayalalitha's visual propaganda, in transforming representations of the leader from an object of desire in need of protection, to a powerful being who nurtures and protects weak mortals, is therefore, both unique and remarkable.

Excerpts from an essay From Co-star to Deity: PopularRepresentations of Jayalalitha Jayaram by Preminda Jacob which is included in the collection Representing the Body: Gender Issues in Indian Art.