She explains why life is more than just films now
Amala Akkineni
Mumbai: After Shiva in 1990, Amala Akkineni is back in Bollywood after over two decades. While she had a brief role in Listen... Amaya in 2013, the actress had a pivotal role in the Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan starrer Hamari Adhuri Kahaani, and it happened only after Mahesh Bhatt made a personal call.
“He said, ‘Amala, I have written this script and I think you would suit the role. I would like to narrate the script if you have the time’… I really liked the script. I listen to so many scripts round the year, but very rarely do I come across something that really inspires me,” she says.
The actress admits that though it is good to be back in Bollywood, she is not looking for more projects as she is bogged down with too many responsibilities. “It’s not that I don’t read scripts. But because I am doing so much in my life already, I am not really looking for work. Because here’s my life in perspective, I’m the founder, chairperson of Blue Cross Society, I work with about 16 different NGOs which I am very passionate about.”
My husband (Nagarjuna) has a very busy film career. The family runs a film studio. Both my sons are busy with their movies. In such a position, as a woman of the family I am already juggling a lot of responsibilities. It has to be something worthwhile to take on an additional responsibility.”
She continues, “I am not looking for work... If someone comes to me and says ‘You would really enjoy doing this’ and say it was a director like Mohit Suri, who makes beautiful films, then the actress in me will say ‘of course’. But is the actress going around looking for films? No.”
“I listen and read about 10 to 12 scripts every year. People do approach. But at this point in my life, it should be something that I would not only enjoy but also something that would make a difference. Like in Hamari Adhuri Kahani, it inspired me a lot from a woman’s perspective. A woman who faces life no matter what difficulty she has.”
Though her husband Nagarjuna and son Naga Chaitanya haven’t seen the movie yet, Akhil loved the movie and her role in it. He also dropped by to meet Mohit Suri, in Mumbai. “Akhil is a big Mohit Suri fan. He was very excited when I said I was working with Mohit. Akhil came to meet Mohit while I was shooting there. Nag hasn’t seen the movie yet. He has been travelling, but he is planning to watch it soon.”
Talking about Akhil's launch, Amala says, “Both Naga Chaitanya and Akhil insisted on being launched outside the home banner. My husband and I are very proud of them.” Amala, who plays a cabaret singer in the movie, shot for five days and has about four scenes in the movie, including one with Vidya and Emraan. “They had to trim a lot to make the movie crisp. But the scenes were the same. We were creating the ’80s on screen. The scene was already written. It was very clear about what I had to say. It was only the look and the feel that I had to create. It’s been a while so it was fun... It was a very short and sweet stint in Bollywood. It was like a five-day dream.”
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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