The song Nazar Lag Jayegi from Ajay Devgn’s upcoming film Bholaa has introduced a new face in Bollywood. Amala Paul, who is making her Hindi film debut with the action-thriller opposite Devgn, is one of the acclaimed actresses of the South film industries.
The 31-year-old actress has worked predominantly in Tamil films, apart from Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Bholaa apart, Amala is gearing up for the release of the Malayalam survival drama Aadujeevitham and Tamil action-adventure film Adho Andha Paravai Pola. Here are five films starring Amala Paul you can watch before Bholaa hits the theatres.
Cadaver (2022)
In this Tamil-language police procedural thriller, directed by Anoop Panicker, Amala plays Dr Badra Thangavel, an expert pathologist who helps police in solving cases. Cadaver revolves around the murders of two surgeons by a jail inmate, and the responsibility of locating his accomplice falls on Badra. Amala leads the film as Badra, fighting against corrupt medical practices while also juggling her job as a pathologist.
Watch it on: Disney+Hotstar
Aadai (2019)
Amala plays a feminist news anchor working for a not-so-serious news channel in the Tamil-language survival thriller film Aadai. Kamini (Amala) lives with her single mother who challenges her to become a serious journalist. To celebrate her birthday, Kamini and her friends go to their now-empty office building and get high on magic mushrooms. In the morning, she finds herself naked and alone in the building without her phone. It becomes apparent that she has become the target of someone who was severely affected by a news snippet that her TV channel had run. What follows is how Kamini survives it and comes out with her dignity intact.
Watch it on: Amazon Prime Video
Amma Kanakku (2016)
This is a Tamil remake by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari of her Hindi comedy drama Nil Battey Sannata, in which Amala plays Shanti Gopal, a young widow who works as a domestic help to provide for her teenage daughter Abhinaya’s education. To motivate Abhinaya to study, Shanti, who is a school dropout but feels education is the only way out, enrols in the same school as her daughter. Amala’s performance underlines the character’s grit, determination and vulnerability in equal measure.
Watch it on: YouTube
Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi (2012)
This Tamil-Telugu bilingual romantic comedy directed by Balaji Mohan is one of Amala’s earlier films, and she breezes through some of the more difficult scenes. Amala plays Parvathi, an opinionated college-goer who’s dealing with her parents’ separation alongside a collapsing romance with her classmate Arun (played by Siddharth). Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi is a film about modern relationships and youngsters, and Amala’s sparkling chemistry with Siddharth had a lot to do with the film’s success.
Watch it on: Disney+Hotstar
Mynaa (2010)
Amala’s first big break came in 2010 when she landed the title role in Prabu Solomon’s Tamil-language romantic drama Mynaa. She played a village girl, Mynaa, who falls in love with a hardworking coolie who gave shelter to her and her mother. Mynaa’s mother is against this relationship and soon it turns bloody. Amala’s turn as an innocent teenage girl shot her to fame in the Tamil industry.
Watch it on: Disney+Hotstar
