Pancake to politics

In her heyday in the 1980s, Jaya Prada was a strong contender for the top slot in Bollywood and the South-Indian film industry. But she h...

In her heyday in the 1980s, Jaya Prada was a strong contender for the top slot in Bollywood and the South-Indian film industry. But she has since faded from view. Is it goodbye to films?
With an emphatic shake of her head, the actress denies that her film career is in the doldrums. “I have continued with my film career. Sometime ago, I did two films in Bengali and Telugu. I will also be acting in Mehul Kumar’s Kohraam and K.C. Bokadia’s Sar Jhukaenge Nahin, while two other films with Jackie Shroff and Amitabh Bachchan are in the pipeline”.

Which of her films does she consider memorable?
“I got the opportunity to act in some very good films, so it’s difficult to say which of them is the most memorable,” she smiles. Among her favourites, though, are Sargam, Sanjog, Sharabi and Sagar Sangamam. Her favourite co-star? That’s easier. Pat comes the reply, “Amitji. I think he is a perfect actor. Not only is he a good actor, but he also does not behave like a big star. It is very comfortable to work with him”.

What does the actress, known for her dancing skills, feel about the heroes and heroines of today?
“I think that present-day heroes and heroines should think of their long-term professional goals. They should concentrate on characterisation instead of clothes,” she quips.

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Why did she plunge into politics?
“A lot of people are under the impression that I entered politics because I was facing income tax problems at the time. But this is not true at all, because when I joined N.T. Rama Rao’s party, he was out of power,” she says. She attributes her involvement in politics to her urge to help the poor. “As an individual, I would not be able to do much. As member of a political party, I can reach out to the common man,” she continues.

How did she manage the transition from the tinselworld to the hurly-burly of politics?
“I found a lot of difference between the colourful glamorous world of films, with its share of adulation, and the harsh reality of politics, where one comes face-to-face with poverty,” she says, citing price rise, communalism and violence as the three most pressing problems before the country. “Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has a clear vision, one of a suvarna Andhra Pradesh and all of us are behind our leader. At the moment, the state government is concentrating on programmes for women and pensioners,” she says.