Amala Akkineni

She has won two Filmfare Awards South, namely Best Actress – Malayalam for the 1991 film Ulladakkam and Best Supporting Actress – Telugu for the 2012 film Life Is Beautiful. Akkineni is the co-founder of 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.

• Name — Amala Akkineni • Birth Name — Amala Mukherjee • Birthplace — Kalaikunda, West Bengal, India • Occupation — * Director of Annapurna College of Film and Media • Actress • animal welfare • environmental activist • Children — Akhil Akkineni • Education — Kalakshetra, Chennai • Years Active — 1986–1993 2012–present

Amala Akkineni was born Amala Mukherjee in Kalaikunda, West Bengal, to a Bengali father, M.K. Mukherjee and an Irish mother, Meitim Connolly. Their family soon shifted to Chennai, where she was brought up. She has a brother. Akkineni holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Bharatanatyam from the Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai.

Amala Akkineni married Telugu actor Nagarjuna on 11 June 1992 and the couple has a son, actor Akhil born in 1994. She is the step-mother of actor Naga Chaitanya. They currently live in Hyderabad. She has given many live performances worldwide. She is fluent in English, Tamil, and Telugu and can also understand Bengali.

She was persuaded to join films by T. Rajendar, 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 Bharatanatyam dancing. That film was Mythili Ennai Kaathali (1986) which was a box office hit. After the film's success, she acted in several Tamil films such as Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu (1986), Panneer Nadhigal (1986) and Velaikkaran (1987). She acted with her future husband [[Nagarjuna (actor)|[Nagarjuna]] in hits such as Siva (1989) and Nirnayam (1991). She garnered acclaim for her role in the film Ulladakkam (1991). • Illustration — Akkineni at TeachAIDS 2010 India Launch 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.

Key • Denotes films that have not yet been released

• Year — Title — Role — Note • 1986 — Mythili Ennai Kaathali — Mythili — Tamil film debut Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil • Panneer Nathigal — Meera • Kanne Kaniyamuthe — Kavita • Mella Thirandhathu Kadhavu — Noorjahan • Unnai Ondru Ketpen — Gita • Oru Iniya Udhayam — Anju • 1987 — Velaikaran — Kaushalya • Idhu Oru Thodar Kathai — Sumathi • Kavithai Paada Neramillai — Devi • Koottu Puzhukkal — Manga • Poo Poova Poothirukku — Mary • Vedham Pudhithu — Vaidehi — Nominated — Filmfare Award for Best Actress — Tamil • 1988 — Sathyaa — Geetha Nair • Agni Natchathiram — Anjali • Nethiyadi — Amala — Guest appearance • Jeeva — Geetha • Illam — Saradha • Kaliyugam — Nithya • Kodi Parakkuthu — Aparna • 1989 — Naalai Manithan — Preethi • Varam — Kavitha • Uthama Purushan — Rekha • Vetri Vizha — Lalitha • Mappillai — Geetha • 1990 — Pudhu Padagan — Devi • Pattanamthan Pogalamadi — Unknown — The song "Saamakozhi" picturised for shelved film Kavadi Sindhu was used in this film. • Mounam Sammadham — Hema • 1991 — Vaasalil Oru Vennila — Kamal • Karpoora Mullai — Maya Vinodini • 2022 — Kanam — Adhi's mother — Shot simultaneously in Telugu

• Year — Title — Role — Note • 1987 — Kirayi Dada — Lata — Telugu film debut • 1988 — Chinababu — Madhu • Raktha Tilakam — Radha • 1989 — Siva — Asha • 1990 — Prema Yuddham — Latha • Raja Vikramarka — Rekha • Aggiramudu — Manasa • 1991 — Nirnayam — Geetha • Aagraham — Chitra • 2012 — Life Is Beautiful — Amma • 2014 — Manam — Dance teacher — Cameo appearance • 2022 — Oke Oka Jeevitham — Adhi's mother — Shot simultaneously in Tamil

• Year — Title — Role — Note • 1988 — Dayavan — Sarita • Kab Tak Chup Rahungi — Geeta • 1989 — Dost — Pooja • Jurrat — Renu • 1990 — Shiva — Asha • 2013 — Listen... Amaya — Sujata • 2015 — Hamari Adhuri Kahani — Rohini Ruparel — Cameo appearance • 2018 — Karwaan — Tahira • 2023 — Tumse Na Ho Payega — Pooja

• Year — Title — Role — Note • 1990 — Bannada Gejje — Menaka • 1991 — Agni Panjara • 1992 — Ksheera Sagara • Belliyappa Bangarappa — Mutthamma

• Year — Title — Role — Note • 1991 — Ente Sooryaputhrikku — Maya Vinodini — Malayalam film debut • Ulladakkam — Reshma — Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Malayalam • 2017 — C/O Saira Banu — Adv. Annie John Tharavadi • 2021 — The Fall into Spring — Sulochana Ramachandran — Short film

• Year — Title — Role — Note • 1987 — Pushpaka Vimana — Magician's daughter

• Year — Title — Role — Language — Network • 1991 — Penn — Tamil — Doordarshan • 1992 — Sangursh — Hindi — Doordarshan • 2010 — Super Mother — Judge — Tamil — Star Vijay • 2014–2015 — Uyirmei — Dr. Kavitha Sandeep — Tamil — Zee Tamil • 2019 — High Priestess — Swathi Reddy — Telugu — ZEE5 • 2020 — The Forgotten Army - Azaadi Ke Liye — Maya's mother — Hindi — Amazon Prime Video