Happy Birthday Amala, Please Please Continue To Act!

It's been around 31 years since the Tamil-speaking society has seen Amala on a big screen. Her last appearance in a Tamil movie was in 1991. Now we are seeing her at the theatres in Kanam (Oke Oka Jeevitham in Telugu). The film has been shot in two languages with a slightly modified cast for each. Amala appears in both editions.

Speaking of Chennai, in an interview with Baradwaj Rangan for Galatta Plus, and about being back in the Tamil industry she remarked that it always feels special being here, and she gave a very valid and warm reason for that. She said that while everywhere else people recognise her as Nagarjuna's wife, Akhil's mom, or Akkineni Family's Daughter-in-law, here in Tamilnadu, people recognise her as Amala. She has her own legacy here that is not associated with anybody else but her. And the fact that this legacy has survived and thrived over thirty years of being inactive, is a huge deal.

When asked about the reason for her choosing to work on this project, she said that she has always been having a day job that kept her occupied, and recently it has been the film institute that is run by her family. She felt that being in touch with the current techniques of filmmaking, and the evolution of the craft, would enable her to better perform her responsibilities, to her satisfaction.

She explained that while emotions are the core of any art form, they might become taxing for the audience if there is nothing to cushion the intense emotional experiences being narrated. And she felt that this film had enough distractions to keep the audience engaged so that they can be guided through the journey of the characters. She emphasised that this film has something very important to convey to society.

Going back to her actor life, Amala said that there was a time when she was having a lot of fun playing all these characters written by other people, but at one point she wondered if she had a sense of identity, and decided that she needed to get one. And seeing how her partner encouraged her, she got into rescuing animals and attempted to create order amidst the mess that existed around her. She said that during this period she was exposed to a different side of life, and she said "once you experience that, you can't get back to the pretend world."

She went on to talk about the void she felt after her father-in-law passed on. She said that she discovered how much legacy exists within the family that needed leadership and attention, especially the college. She said it has been a wonderful journey working with young people and nudging them toward their dreams.

The way she has this overflowing kindness and a rested vibe with her is endearing. Amala has been and always will be a source of positive energy, and she continues to spread it wherever she is, whatever she does. She has been an actor, an animal rescuer, and the leader of an educational institution, and only she knows how many roles she has donned in her inspirational journey so far. There are also the very many roles she will take up going forward.

Our only hope is that whatever she does, we get to know about it, we get to see her talk about it so that her experiences can continue to inspire us, and we can keep working toward becoming someone as emotionally rich as her. A very happy birthday to the human being who forever remains the crush of many generations of film lovers. Amala isn't just a name, it's an emotion. Happy birthday Amala!