[1][2][3] Having begun her career as a theatre artist, Jayadevi began acting in films aged 20 and initially nursed ambitions of becoming a director.
She appeared as an actress in over 40 films, before working as a producer and director, and introducing technicians such as P. C. Sreeram and Velu Prabhakaran through her ventures.
[4] In 2000, she worked as a writer on Puratchikkaaran, a script based on the teachings of Periyar and his book entitled Kadavul.
[6] The film starred Hariharan and Khushbu in the lead roles, with a reviewer from the AllIndianSite labelling the film as "below average", noting that "Jayadevi's story is initially strong", but "the last few scenes are unpardonably slow and didactic" and that the "screenplay meanders through undulating terrain".
[7] In 2010, Jayadevi began work on Aananda Leelai, a film about fake godmen and their women devotees.