V. N. Janaki

Janaki Ramachandran (30 November 1923 – 19 May 1996), commonly known as V. N. Janaki, was an Indian Tamil actress and politician.

She was born to Rajagopal Iyer and Narayani Amma in Tamil family in the town of Vaikom, Kottayam in Kerala State. She had a brother P. Narayanan who was an educationalist. Her father's younger brother was Papanasam Sivan. Janaki was a successful actress in late 1940s and starred in more than 25 movies including Mohini, Raja Mukthi, Velaikaari, Aiyiram Thalaivangiya Aboorva Chintamani, Devaki and Marudhanaattu Ilavarasi. M. G. Ramachandran had written in his autobiography that in late 1940s and in 1950, Janaki was earning double the income he received as an actor.

Janaki married twice. Her first husband was Ganapathy Bhatt whom she married in 1939. The couple had one son called Surendran, who currently has the rights to M.G.Ramachandran's autobiography. More than two decades later, in 1963, she married for the second time, to the Tamil cinema actor M. G. Ramachandran. M.G.R and Janaki did not have any children.

In 1987, when her husband M. G. Ramachandran died, Janaki was asked by party members to take his place. She took his place as the Leader of the AIADMK party, which subsequently split into two factions. Janaki Ramachandran became Chief minister in January 1988 soon after her husband's death, but her government lasted only 24 days, the shortest in the history of Tamil Nadu.

Her ministry won the vote of confidence of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in January 1988 but the Central Government under the late Rajiv Gandhi used Article 356 of the Constitution of India to dismiss her government in February the same year. Her party was subsequently defeated in the next elections that were held in 1989. She quit politics after the unification of the two factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam .

She died of a cardiac arrest on 19 May 1996.

Janaki Ramachandran gifted her property in Avvai Shanmugham Salai (Lloyds Road) in honour of her husband to the AIADMK. It subsequently became the headquarters of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party in 1986. She also willed her property in Arcot Street in T.Nagar to set up the Dr.MGR Memorial House in 1988. She was the founder chairman of The Satya Educational & Charitable Society managing many free educational institutions in Chennai. She gave property worth many million dollars for the establishment of educational and charitable institutions in Tamil Nadu. She was also instrumental in setting up the Janaki Ramachandran Educational & Charitable Trust.and are her gifts to charity.