Hyderabad: Vijayashanthi reigned as the action queen of Indian movies at a time when CGI gimmicks were not an option. The yesteryear actress who bears the scars of many a stunt is in the midst of a fierce political fight in Telangana.
The Congress campaign committee head, however, feels more pained when her companions desert her and switch to rival camps. That has not dented her determination to fight the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi tooth and nail.
Vijayashanthi was about to leave for Khammam when we caught up with her at her residence in the MLA Colony at Banjara Hills at 10 in the morning. Though she has been active in politics for 22 years, she has been elected to the Lok Sabha only once. She won in Medak as a TRS candidate in 2009.
Vijayashanthi's career has spanned the entire spectrum. She started out with the BJP before forming her own party, Nalli Telangana. The agitation for a separate Telangana eventually drew her into the TRS led by K Chandrasekhara Rao. She later rebelled against Rao's one-upmanship and switched to the Congress.
Vijayashanthi offered a quick interview to Manorama.
Why did the Congress fail to cash in on the formation of Telangana?
That was a strategic mistake. The Congress had taken a decision to form Telangana as early as 2013 but the announcement came only before the general election of 2014. The TRS capitalised on it. They lied to the people that it was their achievement only. Had the announcement came a year before the election, the Congress could have benefited from it. I had worked a lot for Telangana when I was in the BJP. Had they listened to me, they could have also benefited from it.
What makes TRS so popular?
That is a temporary phenomenon. I had worked with the BJP and the TRS before joining the Congress. The BJP was a disciplined party in the time of A B Vajpayee and L K Advani. Any lapses were faced with disciplinary action. That is not the case today. By contrast, the Congress has a democratic space. Chandrasekhara Rao is just a henchman of Modi. He is projecting the Federal Front just as an eye wash.
Even if the TRS wins 17 seats in Telangana, what is the use at the centre? I formed Nalli Telangana even before Chandrasekhara Rao formed the TRS. Nalli Telangana means Mother Telangana.
Rao has offered every Congress MLA Rs 30 crore to switch to his party.
Fissures have already appeared in his family. The party has been reduced to Rao and his children. That party does not have a long life. The Congress will bounce back in Telangana once Rahul Gandhi becomes the prime minister.
Have you quit movies entirely?
Now I am focused on politics. But I cannot forget cinema. I yearn for good scripts. I came to Kerala to act in Shyama Prasad's 'Kallu Kondoru Pennu'. It has been years since then.
The actor who won a national award in 1990 for her performance in 'Karthavyam' hopped on to the backseat of the waiting SUV. “The campaign must go on,” said the woman who is better known by her screen name, 'Vyjayanthi IPS'. 'Karthavyam' was dubbed into Tamil as 'Vyjayanthi IPS'.
