This was when legendary star NTR asked you to campaign for him? “Yes, I had known NTR sir for too long to refuse him, so agreeing to campaign was more of an emotional reaction than a career plan and as fate would have it, NTR won the elections and became the chief minister and inadvertently this became a beginning for me in politics. Later, I joined Chandra Babu Naidu and call it my good fortune again because Chandra Babu sir also won the elections and my position became stronger.”
Those days you were traveling to villages, must be quite a different experience from shooting inside studios? “Oh yes, it was exhilarating one day and dramatic the next day. We were travelling the interiors for days and nights at a stretch, often without food, water or even a roof above our heads. I didn’t know where I would be bathing or change, every day, we started early dawn and packed up at midnight”.
Did you ever think of giving it all up and returning to your comfortable life? “Strangely no, even though I was traveling to unfamiliar places with strangers. As stars we are accustomed to having our companion with us everywhere and here, I was surrounded by crowds all the time. I realized that if I can endure this, I can endure anything! Politics like stardom is a great teacher, it taught me self-reliance and patience.” And how does your family react to your changing lifestyle? “My new life has changed their life as well. They don’t have to any longer travel with me everywhere and they are happy that I am now capable of looking after myself”.