Vijayashanti eyes filmy route for political comeback

Hyderabad: After a two-year long political hiatus following her defeat as a Congress assembly candidate in the 2014 elections, actress-turned-politician Vijayashanti is attempting to revive her political and celluloid career.
Falling back on the woman-oriented role in 'Prathigatna' which catapulted her to fame, Vijayashanti is gambling on a replica of the role of Hollywood actor Demi Moore in 'GI Jane' for her twin resurrection.In 'GI Jane', Demi Moore plays a woman Navy SEAL taking on gender discrimination in military and politics. With her political and film career in limbo, Vijayashanti is banking on her on-screen tough-lady image to appear in a bilingual action movie being made in Telugu and Tamil. In the yet-to-be titled movie scripted by Tamil writer V Prabhakar, she will play a tough army woman.
Sources close to Vijayashanti said the writers are giving the final touches to the script and as per the production schedule, shooting of the film will commence in October with the aim of making it a 2017 Ugadi release. "After a prolonged search for a plot, a script has been finalized. Now, dialogues are being written. The film should hit the floor anytime around Dasara in October," said Vijayashanti's husband Srinivas Prasad, who is producing the movie.
As the role needs a well-toned body, Vijayashanti is undergoing a rigorous fitness training under professional trainer Mary Grace, who is specialized in martial arts. "We are preparing her for a certain look in the film. She needs to look naturally fit and strong as an army person. The training is on the lines of army workout unlike normal gym training," Grace said.
Vijayashanti claimed the movie was a film venture first, but added that it is also aimed at resurrecting her political career.. "I am an artiste first. My fans want to see me as an actor on the screen like my voter expects me to discharge my duties as their representative. Both roles go hand in hand without any overlap," she told TOI.
In her chequered political career, Vijayashanti began first with the BJP in 1998 before floating her own party Talli Telangana in January 2009. She later merged her party with the TRS but ended up having an uneasy relationship with the then TRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao which ultimately forced the two to part ways before the 2014 elections and ended with her joining the Congress. Both the party and the actress ended up on the losing side.
Asked if her political aim now is to return to the TRS, Vijayashanti said she was focusing on the film for now. "The new state has been formed, and the new government is in charge. We need to give them time to deliver before criticizing it. Let us wait and see," she added. However, sources close to her said Vijayashanti is expected take a call on her political future after the release of the film.