Actress Amala Paul Biography (Profile), Reallife Photos, Reallife Videos
Actress Amala Paul who previously used Anakha as her stage name, is an Indian film actress, who works in the South Indian film industry
Born: October 26, 1991 (age 21), Ernakulam
Parents: Annice Paul, Paul Varghese
Siblings: Abijith Paul
Amala Paul (Malayalam ) who previously used Anakha as her stage name, is an Indian film actress, who works in the South Indian film industry. After appearing in supporting roles in the Malayalam film Neelathamara and a low budget venture in Tamil, she received critical acclaim for the portrayal of a controversial character in the film, Sindhu Samaveli. Despite the failure of that film, Amala became noted after playing the title role in Mynaa, receiving critical acclaim for her work. Since then, she has been signed on for several notable projects and is considered a leading actress in Tamil films. She has appeared in a few Malayalam films as well.
Early career
Amala, after finishing her [Plus Two] education, took a year out before planning to pursue engineering. At the time, her modelling portfolio was spotted by noted Malayalam director Lal Jose who offered her a supporting role in his remake, Neelathamara (2009).
Despite emerging a success, the film failed to attract any further offers, as she had anticipated. She pursued roles in Tamil films and went on to sign the low-budget comedy film Vikadakavi which was delayed and ultimately became her sixth release, while also signing on to play the lead role in another small budget film Veerasekaran (2010).
The film, which became her maiden Tamil release, was panned by critics and went completely unnoticed, while Amala's role was being labelled as 'minimal', and she later cited that she regretted doing the film and many of her scenes were edited out. Amala Paul then went on to work in Samy's controversial Sindhu Samaveli (2010), portraying the role of Sundari, who has an illicit relationship with her father-in-law.
The director of the film had previously drawn criticism for his depictions of illicit romances as well as for assaulting his previous lead actress in a film, but Amala played down the issue citing that she had no problem with the director.
She was approached after the major portions of her next release, Mynaa were ready and signed on before listening to the entirety of the story, claiming that she was shocked but not upset with the controversial scenes which she heard later. Upon release, the film met with contrasting reviews, whilst some critics refused to give the film a rating, declaring their disgust at the film's plot. Amala's performance won her critical acclaim. However her success was marred with extreme reactions from the public, with Amala claiming she received death threats from anonymous callers and was publicly scolded by women at a cinema hall in Chennai.
Mynaa and the future (2010 - present)
Amala's next release, the romantic drama film Mynaa (2010) by Prabhu Solomon, made her a recognised actress in the industry. The film had garnered much anticipation prior to release, with noted distributors Udhayanidhi Stalin and Kalpathi S. Aghoram purchasing the rights of the film after being impressed with it.
Amala played the village belle Mynaa, attaining unanimous praise from critics for her portrayal; a critic labelled her work as "outstanding" and that she put in a "riveting performance", while other reviews claimed she had "immense talent" and scores in "every instance" in the title role.
The film, which also saw her gain recognition from noted actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, subsequently became a large commercial success at the box-office. Amala Paul gained recognition from several award committees and notably secured the Vijay Award for Best Debut Actress, while also gaining nominations in the Best Actress category at the Filmfare Awards and the Vijay Awards.
Following the success of Mynaa, Amala became touted as the "new star of 2011" as she subsequently signed on to several prominent projects. Her first release of 2011 was in a supporting role in the Malayalam drama film, Ithu Nammude Katha, a remake of the successful Tamil film Naadodigal and the second was meant to be her launch in Tamil films, the coming-to-age tale of five friends Vikadakavi with the film opening to limited screens.
Both films opened to limited screens due to the moderate budget of the projects, with her performance in the latter being described as "full of potential". She went on to sign three big budget films with established production houses, with the drama Deiva Thirumagal directed by Vijay, featuring her opposite Vikram and alongside Anushka, becoming her next release. Her portrayal of school correspondent Shwetha Rajendran won critical acclaim with a reviewer citing that her "expressive eyes help her leave a mark in a small but important role" whilst another critic claimed she "acquits herself well".
Her final release of 2011 was Ram Gopal Varma's Bejawada which marked her début in Telugu language films. The film saw her portray college girl, Geetanjali, and featured her opposite Naga Chaitanya, but the film opened to negative reviews and became a surprise box office failure.
Amala Paul's first release of 2012 was in Linguswamy's multi-starring action entertainer, Vettai, alongside Arya, Madhavan and Sameera Reddy. The film opened to critical and commercial acclaim with The New York Times claiming the film "entertains without breaking any new ground, though it can also surprise".
Amala Paul won mixed feedback for her performance; while the critic from Sify mentioned she "is lovely to look at and her feisty performance proves that a star is born", Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff cited she "struts, pouts and hams to the hilt". The actress had three films released on the Valentine's Day weekend of 2012, with Balaji Mohan's bilingual Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi and Love Failure becoming critical and commercial successes.
The film, made in Tamil and Telugu, featured her alongside Siddharth and portrayed as her college girl, Parvathi, showing her romantic encounter. About the Tamil version, a reviewer from The Hindu wrote: "Amala Paul, after coming across as convincing in her last few movies, looks finally set as a leading lady", while another critc labelled that she "comes across as natural" and "it is a pleasure to see her in a role and costumes that suit her age as compared to her recent movies".
Rediff.com called the Telugu version of the film "refreshing", highlighting that the lead pair's on-screen chemistry "sparkles". The romantic thriller Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal opposite Adharvaa, also released on the same day in which she played Charulatha, a modern girl based in Bangalore. The film won mixed reviews, though the lead pair's on-screen chemistry was praised by critics, while another reviewer noted that "Amala renders an effortless act".
She played a notable role in renowned director Dr. Biju's Aakashathinte Niram, which was her first art-house film. The film was screened at the competition section for the Golden Goblet Award in the 15th Shanghai International Film Festival. She paired with veteran Malayalam actor Mohanlal in the film Run Babby Run in which she played the role of a senior news channel editor. The film was a big commercial success and her performance as well as her chemistry with Mohanlal were highly appreciated.
Personal life
Amala was born on 26 October 1991 in Ernakulam, Kerala to Christian Malayali parents, Paul Varghese and Annice Paul. After completing her Plus Two examinations at govt girls HSS, Aluva she took a sabbatical to begin a career in films, but has since joined St. Teresa's College in Kochi, to pursue a BA degree in English and is a currently in her third year.
Her father had been strictly against Amala pursuing an acting career, but was forced to accept her decision with her older brother, Abijith, strongly backing her ambition. She later claimed she had performing arts in her DNA, revealing that her mother was a singer and her dad was into theatre in college. Amala had changed her on-screen name to Anakha, on director Samy's insistence, who cited that another actress,
Amala had already made her name popular. However, after the failure of Sindhu Samaveli, she reverted to her birth name since she felt that the replacement had brought her bad luck.
Amala says Anushka Shetty as her ‘role model’ and has added that she would love to follow suit in Anushka’s footsteps "I value her a lot as an actress and reasons to think her of a real-life ‘role model’ for me".
Filmography
Year
Film
Role
Language
Notes
2009
Neelathamara
Beena
Malayalam
2010
Veerasekaran
Sugandhi
Tamil
2010
Sindhu Samaveli
Sundari
Tamil
2010
Mynaa
Mynaa
Tamil
Vijay Award for Best Debut Actress
Nominated–Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil
Nominated–Vijay Award for Best Actress
2011
Ithu Nammude Katha
Aishwarya
Malayalam
2011
Vikadakavi
Kavitha
Tamil
2011
Deiva Thirumagal
Shwetha Rajendran
Tamil
Nominated–Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Tamil
2011
Bejawada
Geetanjali
Telugu
2012
Vettai
Jayanthi
Tamil
2012
Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi
Parvathi
Tamil
2012
Love Failure
Telugu
2012
Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal
Charulatha
Tamil
2012
Akasathinte Niram
Young Lady
Malayalam
2012
Run Baby Run
Renuka
Malayalam
2013
Naayak
Nandini
Telugu
2013
Iddarammayilatho
Telugu
Releasing May 24, 2013
2013
Thalaivaa
Tamil
Post-production
2013
Nimirndhu Nil
Tamil
Filming
2013
Janda Pai Kapiraju
Telugu
Filming
Awards
Year
Award
Category
Film
Result
2011
Amrita-FEFKA Film Awards
Best Actress in Tamil
Mynaa
Won
Edison Awards
Best New Face
Won
Filmfare Awards South
Best Actress – Tamil
Nominated
MGR-Sivaji Awards
Best New Actress
Won
Vijay Awards
Best Actress
Nominated
Best Débutante
Won
2012
Jaya Awards
Youth Female Icon Of The Year
Deiva Thirumagal
Won
2013
Asiavision Movie Awards
Best Actress
Run Babby Run
Nominated
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