Amala Paul | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Amala in 2013 | |
| Born | (1991-10-26)26 October 1991 (age 34) |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
Amala Paul (born 26 October 1991)[1] is an Indian actress and producer who is primarily working inTamil andMalayalam films, in addition to someTelugu andHindi films. She is a recipient of aTamil Nadu State Film Award, aFilmfare Award South and twoSouth Indian International Movie Awards.[2][3]
Amala started her career in the Malayalam filmNeelathamara (2009), and later appeared in the Tamil filmMynaa (2010), which earned her theTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress.[4] She further received twoSIIMA Award for Best Actress – Malayalam for her performance inRun Baby Run (2012) andOru Indian Pranayakadha (2013). She went on to appear in successful films such asVettai (2012),Thalaivaa (2013),Velaiilla Pattadhari (2014),Hebbuli (2017),Thiruttu Payale 2 (2017),Ratsasan (2018) andThe Goat Life (2024). Her titular role inMili (2015) won her theFilmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – Malayalam.[5]
Amala Paul was born on 26 October 1991 inErnakulam, Kerala.[1][6][7][8] Amala was born to Paul Varghese (d. 2017) and Annice Paul.[9] Her brother Abijith Paul also appeared in films following Amala's entry into the film industry. After completing her schooling from Nirmala Higher Secondary School Aluva,[10][11] she took a sabbatical to begin a career in films, but has since joinedSt. Teresa's College inKochi, to pursue a B.A. degree in English.[12][13]
Amala's father had been strictly against Amala pursuing an acting career but relented when her brother strongly supported her ambition.[12] She later claimed that she had performing arts in her, revealing that her mother was a singer and her father was into theatre in college.[14]
After finishing studies,Lal Jose offered her a supporting role in his film,Neelathamara (2009). Despite emerging a success, the film failed to attract any further offers, as she had anticipated.[citation needed] She pursued roles in Tamil films and went on to sign for the low-budget comedy filmVikadakavi, which was delayed and ultimately became her sixth release, while also signing on to play the lead role in another small budget filmVeerasekaran (2010). The film, which became her maiden Tamil release, was panned by critics and went completely unnoticed,[citation needed] while Amala's role was labelled as "minimal",[citation needed] and she later cited that she regretted doing the film and many of her scenes were edited out.[citation needed] Amala then went on to work inSamy's controversialSindhu Samaveli (2010), portraying the role of Sundari, who has an illicit relationship with her father-in-law. She was approached after the major portions of her next release,Mynaa were ready, and signed on for Sindhu Samaveli before listening to the entirety of the story, claiming that she was shocked but not upset with the controversial scenes which she heard later. 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.[citation needed] 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.[15] Paul claimed that she received death threats from anonymous callers and was publicly scolded by women at a cinema hall inChennai.[16]
Amala's next release, the romantic drama filmMynaa (2010), byPrabhu Solomon, made her a recognised actress in the industry. The film had garnered much anticipation prior to release, with noted distributorsUdhayanidhi Stalin and Kalpathi S. Aghoram purchasing the rights of the film after being impressed with it.[17] Amala played the village belle Mynaa.[18] The film was successful at the box office.[17]
Following the success of the Tamil film,Mynaa, Amala was billed as the "new top star of 2011" as she subsequently signed on to several prominent projects.[2] Her first release of 2011 was in a supporting role in the Malayalam drama filmIthu Nammude Katha, a remake Tamil filmNaadodigal, and her next release withVikadakavi. 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".[19] She went on to sign three big budget films with the dramaDeiva Thirumagal, directed byVijay, featuring her oppositeVikram and alongsideAnushka,[12] 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 that she "acquits herself well".[20][21] Her final release of 2011 wasRam Gopal Varma'sBejawada, which marked her début in Telugu language films.[22]
Amala's first release of 2012 was inLingusamy'sVettai, alongsideArya,Madhavan andSameera Reddy.[12] The film opened to critical and commercial acclaim withThe New York Times claiming that the film "entertains without breaking any new ground, though it can also surprise".[23] Amala won mixed feedback for her performance, while the critic fromSify mentioned that she "is lovely to look at and her feisty performance proves that a star is born".[24] Pavithra Srinivasan ofRediff.com cited that she "struts, pouts and hams to the hilt".[25] The actress had three films released on the Valentine's Day weekend of 2012, withBalaji Mohan's bilingualKadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi /Love Failure becoming critical and commercial successes. The film, made in Tamil and Telugu, featured her alongsideSiddharth and portrayed her as a college girl, Parvathi, showing her romantic skills. About the Tamil version, a reviewer fromThe Hindu wrote: "Amala Paul, after coming across as convincing in her last few movies, looks finally set as a leading lady", while another critic 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".[26][27]Rediff.com called the Telugu version of the film "refreshing", highlighting that the lead pair's on-screen chemistry "sparkles".[28] The romantic thrillerMuppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal, oppositeAtharvaa, also released on the same day in which she played Charulatha, a modern girl based inBangalore. 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".[29][30] She played a notable role in renowned directorDr. Biju'sAkasathinte Niram, which was her first art-house film. The film was screened at the competition section for the Golden Goblet Award in the 15thShanghai International Film Festival. She paired with veteran Malayalam actorMohanlal in the filmRun Baby 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.[31]
In 2013, Amala achieved her first commercial success inTelugu cinema. Her first release in 2013,V. V. Vinayak's directorialNaayak, oppositeRam Charan, went on to be one of the biggest critical as well as commercial successes of the year.[32] Her next film wasPuri Jagannadh's romantic comedyIddarammayilatho oppositeAllu Arjun. Sangeetha Devi Dundroo ofThe Hindu commented: "Amala Paul manages to pull off a character that traverses a thin line between being naïve and downright silly. We wish we saw more of her."[33] Another reviewer, Sasidhar AS fromThe Times of India commented: "Amala Paul's characterisation is a delight, and she plays Komali so effectively that you'll be left wondering who else could have done the role better than her. She was a perfect choice to play a traditional Telugu girl."[34] She was later seen inA. L. Vijay's action entertainerThalaivaa, oppositeVijay, as a police officer.[35] Her last release of the year was theMalayalam filmOru Indian Pranayakadha.[36]
In 2014, her first release wasSamuthirakani'sNimirndhu Nil, oppositeJayam Ravi,[citation needed] which was simultaneously shot in Telugu asJanda Pai Kapiraju, in whichNani reprised the role of Jayam Ravi.[37] Her second release saw her collaborating withDhanush in the blockbuster film,VIP. Amala's performance was well received and also saw her reprising her role in its sequel,VIP 2 in 2017 that was a commercial success as well.[citation needed]
In 2015, she played the titular role inMili withNivin Pauly. She also co-starred withSuriya inPasanga 2 .[citation needed]
In 2016, she acted inAmma Kanakku an official remake ofNil Battey Sannata byAshwini Iyer, and won acclaim for her performance. In 2017 she starred in the Kannada film oppositeSudeepa inHebbuli which was a commercial success.[citation needed]
Amala switched back to two Tamil films in 2018, both which went on to become commercial successes.Bhaskar Oru Rascal saw her playing the role of Anu oppositeArvind Swamy. While inRatsasan, she starred alongsideVishnu Vishal which received critical acclaim. In 2019, she starred in Tamil-Telugu bilingual film,Aadai, which met with positive reviews.[38]
In 2021, she appeared in anthology filmsKutty Story andPitta Kathalu. She was next seen in web series,Kudi Yedamaithe in Telugu,Ranjish Hi Sahi (web series) in Hindi andVictim: Who is Next? in Tamil. The OTT film,Cadaver (2022), which is an investigative thriller was released onDisney+ Hotstar on 12 August. The film saw Amala venture into Production.[39]
She was also seen in back to back Malayalam films,The Teacher andChristopher which turned out be average. In 2023, she did a cameo alongsideAjay Devgn inBholaa.[40]
2024 saw one of Amala's highest grossing release with the critically acclaimedAadujeevitham. Starring alongsidePrithviraj, the film turned out to become one of thehighest-grossing Malayalam films of all time collecting 158.15 crore, also becoming one of the highest grossing Indian film of 2024.[41]
Amala had changed her on-screen name to Anakha, on director Samy's insistence, who cited that another actress,Amala Akkineni had already made her name popular. However, after the failure of her 2011 filmSindhu Samaveli, she reverted to her birth name, since she felt that the replacement had brought her bad luck.[12] Her brother Abijith Paul is also an actor and has appeared in minor roles in a few films.[42]
As early as 2011, when Amala was working onDeiva Thirumagal, she was romantically linked to directorA. L. Vijay, but denied that they were dating.[43] On 7 June 2014, she got engaged to Vijay atAluva in Kochi.[44] The couple got married on 12 June 2014 at Mayor Ramanathan Chettiar Hall,Chennai.[45][46] In 2016, Amala and Vijay filed for divorce due to disagreement between her and her in-laws on continuing her acting career.[47][48] They divorced in 2017.[49]
She married entrepreneur Jagat Desai in 2023.[50] They have a son named Ilai born on 11 June 2024.[51]
In January 2018, Amala was arrested fortax evasion. A crime branch investigation had found that she had registered her luxury car inPuducherry with fake documents.[52][53] Later, the case was closed citingjurisdictional issues.[54]
Amala is considered among the highest-paid Malayalam actresses.[55][56] She was named theKochi Times Most Desirable Women in 2013,[57] and was placed 3rd in 2014.[58] Her performance inAadai is regarded as one of the "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade" byFilm Companion.[59]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Neelathamara | Beena | Malayalam | ||
| 2010 | Veerasekaran | Sugandhi | Tamil | ||
| Sindhu Samaveli | Sundari | Credited as Anakha | |||
| Mynaa | Mynaa | ||||
| 2011 | Ithu Nammude Katha | Aishwarya | Malayalam | ||
| Vikadakavi | Kavitha | Tamil | |||
| Deiva Thirumagal | Shwetha Rajendran | ||||
| Bejawada | Geetanjali | Telugu | |||
| 2012 | Vettai | Jayanthi Gurumurthy | Tamil | ||
| Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi | Parvathi | Partially reshot inTelugu asLove Failure | |||
| Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal | Charulatha "Charu/Latha" | ||||
| Akasathinte Niram | Young lady | Malayalam | |||
| Run Baby Run | Renuka | ||||
| 2013 | Naayak | Nandini | Telugu | ||
| Iddarammayilatho | Komali Sankarabharanam | ||||
| Thalaivaa | ACP Meera Narayanan | Tamil | |||
| Oru Indian Pranayakadha | Irene Gardner | Malayalam | |||
| 2014 | Nimirndhu Nil | Poomari | Tamil | ||
| Velaiilla Pattadhari | Dr. Shalini | ||||
| Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam | Herself | Special appearance | |||
| Iyobinte Pusthakam | Dancer | Malayalam | Cameo appearance | ||
| 2015 | Mili | Milli Nair | |||
| Janda Pai Kapiraju | Indumathi | Telugu | |||
| Lailaa O Lailaa | Anjali "Lailaa" Menon | Malayalam | |||
| Pasanga 2 | Venba Thamizh Nadan | Tamil | |||
| 2016 | 2 Penkuttikal | Aswathy | Malayalam | ||
| Amma Kanakku | Shanti Gopal | Tamil | [60] | ||
| Shajahanum Pareekuttiyum | Jia | Malayalam | |||
| 2017 | Hebbuli | Nandhini | Kannada | [61] | |
| Achayans | Reetha Fernandez | Malayalam | |||
| Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 | Dr. Shalini Raghuvaran | Tamil | |||
| Thiruttu Payale 2 | Agalya Selvam | ||||
| 2018 | Bhaskar Oru Rascal | Anu | |||
| Ratsasan | Vijayalakshmi | ||||
| 2019 | Aadai | Kamini / Sudhanthira Kodi | |||
| 2021 | Kutty Story | Mrinalini | Segment: "Edhirpaara Mutham" | [62] | |
| Pitta Kathalu | Meera | Telugu | Segment: "Meera" | [63][64] | |
| 2022 | Cadaver | Dr. Badhra Thangavel | Tamil | Also producer | [65][66] |
| The Teacher | Devika | Malayalam | [67] | ||
| 2023 | Christopher | Sulekha | [68] | ||
| Bholaa | Dr. Swara | Hindi | Cameo appearance | [69] | |
| 2024 | The Goat Life | Sainu Najeeb | Malayalam | [70] | |
| Level Cross | Chaitali / Shikha | [71] |
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Kudi Yedamaithe | CI Durga Goud | Telugu | [72] | |
| 2022 | Ranjish Hi Sahi | Amna Parvez | Hindi | [73] | |
| Raju Vootla Party | Herself | Tamil | PromoteCadaver | [74] | |
| Victim: Who is Next? | Anjana | Episode: "Confession" |
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Amrita-FEFKA Film Awards | Best Actress -Tamil | Mynaa | Won | [75] |
| Edison Awards | Best Debut Actress | Won | [citation needed] | ||
| Tamil Nadu State Film Awards | Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress | Won | [76] | ||
| MGR-Sivaji Awards | Best New Actress | Won | [citation needed] | ||
| Vijay Awards | Best Debutant Actress | Won | [77] | ||
| 2012 | Jaya Awards | Youth Female Icon of the Year | Deiva Thirumagal | Won | [citation needed] |
| 1st South Indian International Movie Awards | Rising Female Star of South Indian cinema | – | Won | [citation needed] | |
| 2013 | 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actress – Malayalam | Run Baby Run | Won | [citation needed] |
| 2014 | Vanitha Film Awards | Most Popular Actress | Oru Indian Pranayakadha | Won | [78][79] |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Actress | Won | [citation needed] | ||
| 3rd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actress – Malayalam | Won | [citation needed] | ||
| Amrita Film Awards | Best Actor (Female) | Won | [citation needed] | ||
| 2015 | Vijay Awards | Best Actress | Velaiilla Pattadhari | Won | [citation needed] |
| The Times of India | Most Desirable Married Women of Kollywood | Won | [80] | ||
| Asiavision Awards | Outstanding performer of the year – Female | Mili | Won | [citation needed] | |
| 2016 | 11th Ramu Karyat Awards | Best Actress | Won | [citation needed] | |
| Filmfare Awards South | Critics Best Actress – Malayalam | Won | [citation needed] | ||
| 2019 | Behindwoods Gold Medal | Behindwoods Gold Medal For Best Actress Critics – Tamil | Aadai | Won | [81] |
| Critics Choice Movie Awards - Tamil | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Won | [citation needed] | ||
| Tamil Cinema Journalist Dailies Association Awards | Won | [citation needed] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
