New Delhi, Feb 24 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday remembered former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on her birth anniversary and hailed her for empowering the 'Nari Shakti'.

Remembering the late leader on her 73rd birth anniversary, Mr Modi posted on twitter, 'She also made noteworthy efforts to empower our Nari Shakti. I will always cherish my several interactions with her.'

"She is widely admired for her pro-people policies and efforts to empower the downtrodden,' Mr Modi added.

Jayalalithaa was born to a Tamil family in Melukote of Mandya district, then in Mysore State (now Karnataka). She came into prominence as a leading film actress in the mid-1960s and acted in over 140 films of regional cinema.

Leveraging her immense popularity, Jayalalithaa entered politics in 1982 and was elected as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for six times. Popularly known as "Amma", she passed away on December 5, 2016 from illness.

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