Amala Akkineni
Amala Akkineni (née Mukherjee) is an Indian actress, Bharatanatyam dancer, and animal welfare activist.[2] She has predominantly worked in Tamil films, in addition to Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada-language films. She was a leading actress in the Tamil film industry from 1986 to 1992 and has appeared in many blockbusters in Tamil and other languages. She has won two Filmfare Awards South, namely Best Actress – Malayalam for the 1991 film Ulladakkam[3] and Best Supporting Actress – Telugu for the 2012 film Life Is Beautiful.[4] Amala is the co-founder of Blue Cross of Hyderabad,[5] a non-government organisation (NGO) in Hyderabad, India, which works towards the welfare of animals and preservation of animal rights in India.[6][7]
Amala Akkineni | |
|---|---|
Akkineni in 2010 | |
| Born | Amala Mukherjee 12 September 1967[1] Calcutta, West Bengal, India |
| Alma mater | Kalakshetra, Chennai |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, animal welfare activist |
| Years active | 1986–1993 2012–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Akhil Akkineni (b.1994) Naga Chaitanya (b.1986) (step-son) |
| Relatives | Daggubati–Akkineni family |
Early life
Amala was born in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata) to a Bengali Indian Navy officer and an Irish mother.[8][9] Their family soon shifted to Madras (present-day Chennai) where she was brought up.[10] She has a brother.
Amala holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Bharatanatyam from Kalakshetra college of fine arts, Madras now Chennai.[11] She gave many live performances worldwide.[12][13] She is fluent in English, Tamil and Telugu, and can understand Bengali.[14][15]
Personal life
Amala married Telugu actor Nagarjuna on 11 June 1992 and the couple has a son, actor Akhil Akkineni born in 1994. She is the step-mother of actor Naga Chaitanya.[16] They currently live in Hyderabad.[13]
Career
She was persuaded to join films by T. Rajendar, who visited her home with his wife Usha and convinced her mother to let her act in the film, which would be a classical film featuring her Bharatanatyam dancing.[17] That film was Mythili Ennai Kaathali (1986) which was a huge box office hit. Winning overnight fame, she charmed cinegoers in a flurry of fifty films, including a number of Tamil box office hits. She acted with her future husband Akkineni Nagarjuna in hits such as Nirnayam and Siva. She received Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam for the film Ulladakkam (1991).
She quit acting in 1992 following her marriage to Nagarjuna. After a hiatus of 20 years she made a comeback in 2012 with the Telugu film Life is Beautiful.[18] She received a CineMAA Award for Best Outstanding Actress and Telugu category Filmfare Award for best supporting actress in 2013 for her portrayal.
She returned to Malayalam cinema with C/O Saira Banu after a gap of 25 years, since Ulladakkam.[19]
Filmography
| Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Tamil
| Year | Film | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Mythili Ennai Kaathali | Mythili | Tamil film debut Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil |
| Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu | Noorjahan | ||
| Panneer Nathigal | Meera | ||
| Kanne Kaniyamuthe | Kavita | ||
| Unnai Ondru Ketpen | Gita | ||
| Oru Iniya Udhayam | Anju | ||
| 1987 | Velaikaran | Kaushalya | |
| Poo Poova Poothirukku | Mary | ||
| Koottu Puzhukkal | |||
| Vedham Pudhithu | Vaidehi | Nominated — Filmfare Award for Best Actress — Tamil | |
| Kavithai Paada Neramillai | |||
| Idhu Oru Thodar Kathai | Sumathi | ||
| 1988 | Agni Natchathiram | Anjali | |
| Kodi Parakkuthu | Aparna | ||
| Sathyaa | Geetha Nair | ||
| Jeeva | Geetha | ||
| Illam | Saradha | ||
| Kaliyugam | |||
| Nethiyadi | Amala | Guest appearance | |
| 1989 | Mappillai | Geetha | |
| Varam | |||
| Naalai Manithan | Prabhu's girlfriend | ||
| Uthama Purushan | Rekha | ||
| Vetri Vizha | Lalitha | ||
| 1990 | Pudhu Padagan | Devi | |
| Mounam Sammadham | Hema | ||
| 1991 | Vaasalil Oru Vennila | Kamal | |
| Karpoora Mullai | Maya Vinodini | ||
| 2022 | Kanam | Adhi's mother | Shot simultaneously in Telugu[20] |
Telugu
| Year | Film | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Kirayi Dada | Lata | Telugu film debut |
| 1988 | Chinababu | Madhu | |
| Raktha Tilakam | Radha | ||
| 1989 | Shiva | Asha | |
| 1990 | Prema Yuddham | Latha | |
| Raja Vikramarka | Rekha | ||
| Aggiramudu | Manasa | ||
| 1991 | Nirnayam | Geetha | |
| 1993 | Aagraham | Chitra | |
| 2012 | Life Is Beautiful | Amma | |
| 2014 | Manam | Dance Teacher | Cameo appearance |
| 2022 | Oke Oka Jeevitham | Adhi's mother | Shot simultaneously in Tamil[20] |
Hindi
| Year | Film | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Dayavan | Sarita | |
| Kab Tak Chup Rahungi | Geeta | ||
| 1989 | Dost | Pooja | |
| Jurrat | Renu | ||
| 1990 | Shiva | Asha | |
| 2013 | Listen... Amaya | Sujata | |
| 2015 | Hamari Adhuri Kahani | Rohini Ruparel | Cameo appearance |
| 2018 | Karwaan | Tahira |
Kannada
| Year | Film | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Pushpaka Vimana | Magician's daughter | Silent film Kannada film debut |
| 1990 | Bannada Gejje | Menaka | |
| 1991 | Agni Panjara | ||
| 1992 | Ksheera Sagara | ||
| Belliyappa Bangarappa | Mutthamma |
Malayalam
| Year | Film | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Ente Sooryaputhrikku | Maya Vinodini | Malayalam film debut |
| Ulladakkam | Reshma | ||
| 2017 | C/O Saira Banu | Adv. Annie John Tharavadi | |
| 2021 | The Fall into Spring | Sulochana Ramachandran | Short film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Penn | Tamil | Doordarshan | |
| 1992 | Sangursh | Hindi | Doordarshan | |
| 2010 | Super mother | Judge | Tamil | Star Vijay |
| 2014–2015 | Uyirmei | Dr. Kavitha Sandeep | Tamil | Zee Tamil |
| 2019 | High Priestess | Swathi Reddy | Telugu | ZEE5 |
| 2020 | The Forgotten Army - Azaadi Ke Liye | Maya's mother | Hindi | Amazon Prime Video |
Awards and honours
Film awards
| Year | Award | Award Category & Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Cinema Express Awards | Illam, Agni Natchathiram[citation needed] |
| 1991 | Filmfare Awards South | Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam – Ulladakkam[3] |
| 2012 | Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Telugu – Life Is Beautiful[citation needed] | |
| CineMAA Awards | Best Outstanding Actress – Life Is Beautiful[citation needed] |
Social welfare awards
- 2012: Jeev Daya Purashkaar from Animal Welfare Board of India[citation needed]
- 2017: Nari Shakti Award from Ministry of Women and Child Development[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Akkineni Nagarjuna rings in 46th birthday in Thailand". The Indian Express.
- ^ S.B.VIJAYA MARY. "Amala for a fit mind, body". The Hindu.
- ^ a b "39th Annual Filmfare Malayalam Best Film Actress : santosh : Free Dow…". Archive.is. 8 February 2017. Archived from the original on 8 February 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ Sangeetha Devi Dundoo. "Amala Akkineni : Behind the glamour of cinema". The Hindu.
- ^ . Blue Cross of Hyderabad. 26 January 2011. Archived from the original on 4 August 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ S.B. Vijaya Mary. "'I treasure my quiet time': Amala Akkineni". The Hindu.
- ^ T.Lalith Singh. "Respect saniation [sic] workers, Amala Akkineni tells people". The Hindu.
- ^ Subhash K Jha (17 June 2015). . SKJ Bollywood News. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ J Rao, Subha (7 December 2012). "The measure of a woman". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ Lakshmi, L. (3 April 1987). "I never aspired for money or fame". The Indian Express. p. 14. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ . Hixic. 11 September 2018. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- ^ . RITZ. Archived from the original on 29 August 2015.
- ^ a b "A day in the life of Amala Akkineni". The Times of India.
- ^ Jain, Rupam (11 July 2011). . The Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "When Amala Akkineni Made Sweets For The Whole Unit Of 'Kanam'". Outlook. IANS. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ Himalayan Academy. "A Kinder Vision". hinduismtoday.com.
- ^ . Gorantha Deepam. 24 June 2011. Archived from the original on 12 June 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 31 August 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ^ Digital Native (20 February 2017). "Amala-Manju Warrier starrer 'C/o Saira Banu' ready for release". The News Minute. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Amala Akkineni returns to Tamil cinema after two decades with upcoming bilingual". The News Minute. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
External links
- Amala at IMDb