Shortly before her death Soundarya had entered politics ahead of India's 2004 general election, joining the BJP — a move that was itself widely discussed.
In early 2004 Soundarya, still an active and popular film star, entered public life by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of that year's general election. Film stars entering electoral politics in the south always draws intense attention, and her move was much talked about.
It was in connection with this new political activity that she undertook the ill-fated flight in April 2004, which added a further layer of poignancy to a death that cut across both her film career and a nascent public-service chapter.
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