CHENNAI: It has been 15 years since Amala Paul made her debut in cinema, but the person she is today is just a pale shadow of her former self. Experiences, both bitter and better, took her on a rollercoaster ride all this while. Finding the love of her life and getting remarried has eventually illuminated her days. As the couple is about to welcome the newest member of the family, Amala feels this is the “most blissful” phase of her life.
Along with all the exciting changes in her personal life, Amala is also thrilled about the release of Aadujeevitham. While speaking over the phone, one can sense both her excitement and fatigue. In the film, which is based on the heartbreaking survival story of Najeeb, a migrant worker, Amala plays the wife, Sainu. Benyamin’s best-seller novel, which first brought Najeeb’s extraordinary tale to the world, has very little of Sainu’s portions. But the film promises much more and Amala also exudes confidence about it in this freewheeling chat.
Excerpts:
It has been six years since you joined Aadujeevitham and during this period, your life and career have seen a sea of changes...
True, that’s why Aadujeevitham will always be a personal film for me. While signing the film in 2018, I was also a bit like Sainu, a naive girl unaware of what drastic changes life has to offer. But I believe, every change is for the good and I’m grateful for it. I thank the universe for aligning me with this film.
Were you aware of the novel before this project was offered?
Yes, but I read it after the offer came. I remember reading it in a single stretch during a three-hour-long flight from Kochi to Delhi. By the end, I was completely in tears and could feel my body shivering. I was so touched by the man’s resilience to survive despite all the suffering and the divine intervention he had. I got emotional seeing the man on stage during the audio launch.
There’s only very little about Sainu in the novel. Can we see more of her in the film?
Blessy ettan beautifully explained the importance of Sainu to me. When you are stranded alone in life, your only flicker of hope is that one person waiting for you. Sainu is that ray of hope for Najeeb. The connection they share is divine. Sainu is innocent, loving and very optimistic. In fact, she’s the one who motivates Najeeb to go abroad. This is despite the fact that she is pregnant.
How was your experience working with Prithviraj?
Aadujeevitham is our first film together, so for me, Prithvi will always be Najeeb. I’ve always felt that he is an extraordinary actor, whose real potential hasn’t been explored much. He has such a strong personality and to break out of that to transform as Najeeb shows his tremendous range. Another remarkable thing about him is he never complains. He’s ready to push himself to any limits for that one perfect take.
Have there been instances where your characters have impacted you on a deeper level?
Lately, I’ve observed that I’m attracted to characters who share a similar journey as me in real life. When I did the role of a police surgeon in 'Cadaver' (2019), I visited mortuaries and saw live postmortems. I was also reading a lot about what happens after death. It was at the same time when my dad’s cancer relapsed and I realised that I was losing him. The character gave me immense strength to face and embrace death. Later, I did 'The Teacher' (2022), another intense film where my character is in a state of trauma throughout. It was like therapy for me as I could purge a lot of my pent-up emotions. It was a huge healing process. When we approach art on an intense, more personal level, it takes a severe emotional toll on us. It takes time to recover and reset myself, and for that, travel is perfect.
Could you tell us a bit about your tryst with spirituality?
Spirituality, for me, is living with an awareness of everything that’s happening internally and externally, and trying to find a balance in life with that. What goes around externally is a manifestation of what’s happening inside. So, the change has to be done internally. After my mental breakdown, I’ve started prioritising peace over everything else. Earlier, the aim was to stay happy all the time, but I realised that it’s not practical and human. Being human is going through all the emotions while embracing and processing them in a healthy way. I now let myself experience every emotion that my body and mind want to feel. I also try to identify and break some old patterns, some of which I wasn’t even responsible for. It was perhaps a result of my childhood experiences, or how society treated me, or my past relationships. My journey right now is to reinvent myself by reworking these patterns, developing new healthy habits, and learning to coexist.