After a number of not so successful films, her fortunes took a huge leap with Mynaa. The film catapulted her into the big league and earned her the respect she has in the industry today. “Mynaa gave me my identity and individuality in movies, and made people take notice of me. If there had been no Mynaa, there would be no Amala Paul,” she opened up in 2011, in an exclusive interview with JFW.
She credits Mynaa director Prabu Solomon for all her success. “The way he showcased me, I knew I would be appreciated.” It was Prabu who reassured Amala about her talent when her confidence dropped and motivated her to do better. It was during the filming of Mynaa that she started to understand cinema and began to appreciate the craft of acting. “Prabu Sir is my guru; I respect him both as a person and as a director.”
Amala acknowledges that the other pillars of her success are her parents and the rock solid family values they infused in her. “My family doesn’t interfere. They are very supportive. They give me good advice but the freedom to make choices rests with me.”
Amala then also spoke about her real character and the roles she took up back then. “Besides inborn talent, dedication is what makes good actors great. Without sincerity any role will end up looking artificial. If one works just for the money or fame, working in this industry is going to be boring. Passion and hard work are two prerequisites to survive in movies,” said Amala assertively.
Is it all work and no play for Amala then? She laughs, “I do let my hair down like any other normal teen. But I prefer to relax with my close group of buddies rather than attend every soiree in town. People look at me and feel that I’m a party girl but I’m very simple at heart and even quite sensitive.”
“I’m the same person on and off the set. In this industry, most people come across as fake. I prefer to keep my distance from such people. I think they behave like that because they are very insecure. I hope I never become like that,” concluded Amala.
The actor has done 35+ films in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. She is currently all set to make her major comeback with Cadaver, a film directed by Anoop Panicker. Interestingly, she is also the Producer of Cadaver. She is also awaiting the release of Aadujeevitham, and has signed a movie called Teacher.