Matrimony and movies seem to go hand in hand in the gorgeous Amala Paul’s life. While Rajesh Pillai’s much-anticipated Malayalam film Mili reached theatres on Friday, Lailaa O Lailaa , her Mohanlal-starrer with Joshiy, is getting ready. She is also on the verge of signing a Tamil movie with a major production house.
“Thanks to Mili, I hardly got any time to spend with my husband, Vijay (director A.L. Vijay). Soon after our wedding, I was shooting for the film and during the breaks, I was quite listless, as the character really got into my blood. But once Vijay saw the film, he told me that he would have felt guilty if I had not done the movie,” says Amala, making no effort to suppress her excitement about her role.
She says it was Vijay’s encouragement and the support of her in-laws that helped her through the tough assignment of playing a character that was so unlike her. “Vijay and his family have let me be. Vijay is my husband but he continues to be my best friend and soul mate.” And that’s why she believes marriage has not pulled the plug on her acting career. It was just after the first schedule of the film that Amala had got married in 2014.
However, she says that from now on she is going to be choosy about her characters. “I have had my share of hits, fame and glamour. Henceforth, it is the character and the script that will enthuse me. Give me roles that challenge me,” says Amala.
Admitting that she has always been fastidious about her Malayalam ventures, Amala explains: “Well, I am a Malayali and I know the kind of expectations my fans have about my films. That, for me, is the biggest award. So I try and pick roles that I hope viewers will like. Malayalis want actors to be subtle in their acting and they enjoy realism.”
Amala, she of the svelte figure and expressive eyes, does not need make-up to wow her audience or win roles. Remember how she went de-glam in Tamil movies such as Veerasekaran, Mynaa and Sindhu Samaveli ?
Now, she does the same in Malayalam to play the shy and diffident Mili.
Two years ago Amala Paul effortlessly sashayed her way into the hearts of the Malayali audience in the Fahadh-starrer Oru Indian Pranaya Katha ( OIPK). But Mili, her avatar on screen is not Irene Gardener, the determined woman of OIPK.
“I am Mili and so are you. That is what is special about her. It is a story all of us can relate to,” says Amala. She continues: “And I am so glad it was directed by Rajesh. I feel only he could have helmed a sensitive film like this. In fact, I am grateful to Rajesh and script writer Mahesh Narayanan for their faith in me because I was their first choice to play Mili,” says Amala.
Although Mahesh had approached her two years ago with the story of an introvert who blossoms into a confident woman after she discovers her inner Zen, Amala did not have dates for the film. Serendipity entered the scene, and two years later, Amala stepped into the shoes of the insecure Mili.
“Someone who is so not me! In fact, that is what scared me. I am such a confident person. So I wondered if I could become this insecure girl with her inner demons,” confides Amala.
But once she faced the camera as Mili, she found that there were many instances in which she could identify with the character. Instances when she had felt insecure, vulnerable and awkward.
“Mili is a girl but her problems are not gender-specific. She is that person each of us was before we became cynical, street-smart and worldly-wise.” Amala told Rajesh that she wanted to essay Mili without any make-up and the trailers seem to vindicate her intuition about the character. “I wanted to prove that any one can aspire to find the success that Mili achieves. So I wanted her to look like any girl one meets. I did not even have a hair stylist for this role.”
Sharing screen space with her is Nivin Pauly, playing a corporate trainer who helps Mili break out of her self-imposed bubble and find herself. Sai Kumar, Praveena, Sanusha, Shamna Kasim and Amol Parashar are also in the cast of the film produced by Avinash Unnithan and Sathish under the banner of Ordinary Films.
The actress says she has always been lucky in finding producers who were willing to fund films that did not always fit the commercial mould. “Thanks to them I have been able to act in a wide variety of movies. It has helped me become a versatile performer though it is not easy for actresses to find that kind of space in the tinsel world. Be it in Malayalam or Tamil, I got to play characters who had plenty to do in the storyline and not just be a prop.”
She hopes that lady luck continues to smile on her as she tries to move on to a new phase in her career and life.
Short takes
* It was wonderful to work with Nivin. Did you know both of us are from the same parish in Aluva and knew each other as kids? We relived those days during the shooting. He is my friend in the film and in real life too.
* Marriage is great if you find the right person. What is nice about Vijay and his family is that they have let me be. So Vijay is my husband but he continues to be my best friend and soul mate.
