Actress Vani Viswanath likely to contest Andhra polls

Chennai: South Indian actor Vani Viswanath is all set to enter politics. Viswanath on Sunday confirmed that she would like to join the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party.

In an exclusive interview, she told Manorama News that the party was considering to field her in the Nagari constituency for the assembly polls due for next year.

Nagari, which is in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, is likely to witness a star contest with the YSR Congress reportedly planning to field sitting MLA and yesteryear actor Roja there.

Viswanath said she has already met Naidu and other TDP leaders and had some discussions with them. She said talks of her joining politics started last year when she acted in a Telugu film.

“I had done a Telugu movie last year. Journalists then asked me if I had any plan to join politics. I said as of then there was no plan, but I wished to join TDP if at all I choose to give a try in politics,” she said. The comment apparently led to rumours and her talks with the top brass of the TDP.

Viswanath said she was highly impressed by the leadership qualities of Naidu. She said she would campaign for the TDP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls if need be. “As of now, I'm concentrating on my daughter's studies,” she said.

Interestingly, Viswanath had acted as the wife of TDP founder and legendary actor NTR in a film, “Samrat Ashoka”, in 1992.

Viswanath also confirmed reports that her astrologer father had predicted that she would become an actor as well as politician. She has acted in nearly 100 films in four languages, with Malayalam topping the list with over 50. She is the wife of Malayalam actor Baburaj.