The  still-slim and stunning Bhagyashree who had endeared herself in her romantic lead role opposite Salman Khan in Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) is back again in a dramatic role with ‘shades of romance’ in this volatile Naxalite-centric movie titled Red Alert — The War Within.

This time she is paired opposite Suneil Shetty as his ‘homely’ wife. Suneil plays the protagonist character of Narsimha who gets dragged into the Naxalite movement.

But wasn’t Bhagyashree feeling ‘lost’ in a formidable ensemble cast which includes Vinod Khanna,
Naseeruddin Shah, Sameera Reddy, Seema Biswas, Gulshan Grover and Ayesha Dharker?

“That itself is a welcome challenge for me. I get to portray the emotional bond of a husband and wife in this sensitive film (directed by Ananth Mahadevan). That’s the only reason he (Narsimha) keeps coming back to me, while on his own mission. In fact, I am the vital anchor which brings him back. There is the mature romantic undercurrent between us. From Maine Pyar Kiya to Red Alert, it’s like a full circle from teenage crushes to a mature passionate marital love over the past two decades. My character is not involved with the movement. But I get affected the most,” clarifies Bhagyashree about her character in the movie.

The best part of the movie is the international exposure that she will be getting.

“They will be showcasing the movie at various international film-festivals. I always wanted to work with
Ananth (Mahadevan). Off-screen, we share a common passion for books,” justifies Bhagyashree who has acted in a variety of  regional language movies including Bhojpuri, Telugu and Marathi besides her ‘comeback’ Hindi overture Janani (2006).

So would Bhagysharee care to clarify why she turned down the TV serial title role of Dharampatni (now title changed to Sujata)?  “It’s true that I was approached by Ravi-ji to play this lead role. It didn’t work out due to various issues and constraints. Otherwise Ravi Chopra is a dear family friend and it’s an honour to work for his banner. But sometimes destiny has something else in store for you,” she shrugs.