Amala Akkineni, who enthralled movie goers in the late 1980s and 90s with her screen presence, is back to the Malayalam film industry after 25 years with C/o Saira Banu.  Speaking the Gulf News about the film, Amala said that the performance-oriented role drew her towards the project but that she gave the nod only after taking a few classes to get her Malayalam dialect right.

She was quoted as saying, “It was an interesting story with scope for performance. Besides, working with Manju was a big draw. I requested a Malayalam dialogue coach. We had Skype classes at five am for a week before I said yes. Initially, I was afraid of legal terms in Malayalam, but as I got familiar those fears went away. I also spoke with a friend, Shantha John, a Syrian Christian. Gradually I understood that Annie John could be an educated Indian woman anywhere in the world and that as a single mother her emotions were universal with other single mothers.”
Amala, being very selective about her roles, hasn’t signed any new films yet. She has said in the interview that if she needs to get on board a project, it needs to interest her and the role should be meaty enough.
Amala, married to Tollywood star Nagarjuna, staged a comeback to films after a long sabbattical. Her last Malayalam films were Ente Sooryaputhrikku with Suresh Gopi in the lead and the Mohanlal starrer Ulladakkam both of which released in the year 1991. She has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi movies in her short yet illustrious career.

(Content provided by Digital Native)