Amala Akkineni


Amala Akkineni is an Indian film actress, Bharata Natyam dancer, and an animal welfare activist. She appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam language films. She has won two Filmfare Awards South, namely Best Actress - Malayalam for 1991 film Ulladakkam
and Best Supporting Actress – Telugu for 2012 film Life Is Beautiful. Amala is the co-founder of The Blue Cross of Hyderabad, a non-government organisation in Hyderabad, India, which works towards the welfare of animals and preservation of animal rights in India.

Early life

Amala was born in Calcutta to a Bengali Indian Navy officer and an Irish mother. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Bharata Natyam from Kalakshetra college of fine arts. She gave many live performances worldwide. She was subsequently persuaded to join films by T. Rajender, 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 Bharat Natyam dancing.

Personal life

Amala married Telugu Film actor Akkineni Nagarjuna in 11 June,1992 and the couple have a son, actor Akkineni Akhil. They currently live in Hyderabad. She is the step-mother of actor Naga Chaitanya. In an interview with The Hindu, she cited her greatest fear as not "walking the talk" when it comes to social issues.

Career

Amala made her debut in a Tamil film titled Mythili Ennai Kaathali, directed by T. Rajendar, 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.
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. 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.

Awards

;Filmfare Awards South
;CineMAA Awards

Tamil

Telugu

Hindi

Kannada

Malayalam

Television