Sheela: new role
By Ashraf Padanna/Thiruvananthapuram

Veteran Malayalam actress Sheela will soon join the Congress Party and take up issues concerning women and children in Kerala.
She made her intention public after a meeting with Defence Minister A K Antony in New Delhi yesterday.
“You’ll know everything when the time comes and there’ll be an official announcement soon,” Sheela, 70, told reporters.
Sheela, along with late Prem Nazir, holds the world record for acting in the largest number of films (110) together as heroine and hero.
Sheela, who has acted in nearly 500 films in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu, said she would not like to put a full stop to her acting career after taking the political plunge.
Sharada, another leading lady of Nazir, campaigned extensively for Congress candidates Sashi Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram and K V Thomas in Ernakulam in the 2009 general elections after she quit the Telugu Desam party and joined the Congress.
Sheela, who made her debut in the tinsel world with M G Ramachandran’s Paasam in Tamil at the age of 19, said she would concentrate on issues like women empowerment and the protection of child rights.
“This was not an easy decision. It took many months to make up my mind for this. Believe me, I have nothing new to gain from politics except satisfaction in working for the people,” she said. “People in Kerala find it hard to accept film stars as politicians. But I don’t need money or fame from politics and I have gained both a lot from cinema.”
Sheela made her first Malayalam film in 1962 acting opposite Sathyan in Bhagyajathakam and continued her reign in the Malayalam film industry as the most sought after actress for two decades.
Her all-time hits that also won her many awards include Chemmeen, Kallichellamma, Velutha Kathreena, Vazhve Mayam, Kannappanunni and Kadathanattu Makkam.
She also directed two films, Yakshaganom and Shikarangal besides writing the story, script and screenplay.
Sheela returned to acting after a long gap in 2003 with a critically acclaimed character role in Sathyan Antikkad’s Manassinakkare that won her the best supporting actor award of the state government.
She won the National Film Award for best supporting actress for her role in Shyamaprasad’s Akale the following year.
Besides being a painter with a passion for oil and portraits, she also authored a book titled Kuilinte Koodu and many short stories.