In recent times Vijayashanthi has never ever spared an opportunity to attack Chiranjeevi once he expressed his intention to join politics but when it came to their association in movies it is exactly the opposite because Vijayshanthi and Chiranjeevishared lot of similarities in their career. While Chiranjeevi needs no introduction for his achievements speak for himself, people might have forgotten Vijayshanthi because in India, the life span of a heroine is very short as they last only 5 to 7 years in public memory unlike heroes who last for a good two to three decades.
Early Career of Vijayashanthi:- Vijayashanthi shot into prominence with hits like Neti Bharatam very early in her career. Born on 24th January 1966 she made her debut as early in 1979. Vijayashanthi shot into prominence with strong performances in heroine oriented films like Neti Bharatam and Pratighatana. Vijayashanti like her favourite Chiranjeevi never looked back after the super success of Neti Bharatan in 1983. Chiranjeev too never looked back after delivering the super hit movie "Khaidi"
Vijayashanti also swept aside competion like Chiranjeevi:- When Vijayshanti started her career she had competition from other heroines like Radha and Bhanupriya but as is the case with Chiranjeevi once she established herself in movies, she swept aside the competition within no time. Though Vijayashanthi was hugely successful in heroine oriented films she repeatedly co starred in movies with top stars like Chiranjeevi and Balakrishna. She balanced herself beutifully by acting in movies meant for the regular audiences who prefer the hero in the lead role and heroine in the supporting role. This move of Vijayashanthi has to be complemented because many heroines once they attain success in heroine oriented movies consciously or unconsciously have a tendency to deviate from the usual type of films where the movie revolves around the heroine and in the process they take themselves away from the minds of viewers. One such case is that of Rekha whose success in heroine oriented movies meant she moved out of the memory of regular viewers who wanted to see hero oriented films.
Vijayashanti too had a larger than life image like Chiranjeevi:- Once Chiranjeevi made it big in movies, he was given larger than life roles so that there is a clear differentiation between himself and the rest of the heroes. Vijayashanthi's career too followed the same pattern. Unlike her contemporaries like Radha and Bhaupriya who played supporting roles to heroes Vijayashanti was given a role equivalent to that of a hero in the top league like Balakrishna and Venkatesh. In the later part of her career heroes in the top league stopped acting with Vijayashanthi for the fear of being sidelined. This worked as a blessing in disguise for Vijayshanthi as she acted with newer heroes and this heroes were more than happy playing the supporting role to a great actress like Vijayshanthi.
Vijayashanthi like Chiranjeevi had a very long stay at the top:- Once Chiranjeevi acquired super stardom he never lost it till he quit films to join politics. Chiranjeevi was Number 1 for more than 25 years a feat unprecedented in Indian movies. In India the life of a heroine is 5 to 7 years, but Vijayashanti did exceedingly well not only to outlast the normal life span of a heroine but also dominate the scene during her stay. Vijayshanti too had a very long stay at the top which not many heroines in India can boast of.
Vijayashanthi and Chiranjeevi made a perfect couple in movies:-Vijayshanthi and Chiranjeevi pairing was one of the best ever in the history of Telugu movies. Very few combinations in the history of Indian movies can match the on screen chemistry of this famous pair. Apart from Jeetendra-Jayaprada and Jeetendra-Sridevi not many combinations can match this pairing. The pair did 19 movies together and that is the maximum number of movies Vijayashanthi has ever acted with any hero in her career. The 19 films Chiranjeevi did with Vijayashanti is also a record for Chiranjeevi as he has never acted in more number of films than any other heroine in his career. Vijayashanthi as a actress and Chiranjeevi and Vijayashanthi as a combination were at their peak between early 1980s to late 1980s delivering hits in succession and almost each and every film went on to become a super hit. The pair shared a wonderful onscreen chemistry in films like Manchi Donga where they looked a perfect couple and their on screen romancing where they looked the perfect husband and wife was one of the reasons for the film becoming a super hit.
Vijayashanti would never have imagined during her acting career that one day she would have to campaign vociferiously against her favourite co star Chiranjeevi.