Mollywood doesn't like fresh faces says Amala Paul

Her unmistakable aura and ethereal beauty have earned her the sobriquet of glamour diva. But if one expected a made up 'doll' to make an appearance, nothing could be further off the mark.

Amala Paul, sans the trappings of glamour, is as pretty and refreshing as a cooler on a hot day! Clad in a sleeveless sun dress, with those long legs on show, Amala exudes a confidence that has come with her success ' a hard earned one that had its shares of personal and professional ups and downs. She has now taken control of her life and 2012 promises to be hers.

Amala is sitting pretty on the critical acclaim she got for Deiva Thirumagal opposite Vikram and has a line of big projects in Kollywood like Vettai with Arya, Madhavan and Sameera Reddy, Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal, Kadhalil Sodhapuvadu Yeppadia and a junior NTR project in Telugu. Mollywood will see her in Akashatinte Niram with Indrajith.

In the meantime, I received the offer for Neelathamara and who can resist a good team like Lal Jose and M.T.? So Neelathamara became my debut film. I feel that Mollywood and Kerala audience do not encourage strugglers or new faces! If you compare the scene with Kollywood or Tollywood, new talent is always welcome and there are different slots and markets for everybody.

Malayali heroines do not enjoy as much space as the heroes and are not treated as equals in terms of roles, treatment or the payment.'' Have her early struggles soured her towards Mollywood? Amala refutes this, "Oh no.

Mollywood is where realistic cinema is. The talent that Mollywood has got is immense. I now have the time to concentrate in this film industry and would love doing more films in Malayalam. Whenever I meet people from other industries, I get a lot of respect because I am a Malayali. I want to do good cinema in Mollywood, not hardcore commercial films, but meaningful cinema, which I can remember as a milestone.''

Amala seems to be going in the right direction for a 20-year-old with no godfathers nor being an industry child.

Her Mollywood film Akashitinte Niram, directed by Dr Biju, will see her in a powerful role and she has high expectations riding on it. The mix of her beauty and talent has fed the gossip mills, which have been working overtime linking her to X, Y and Z. She retorts, "My career is important at this point of time. I like handsome and intelligent men but my personal life is just that ' personal!"

"I do not want any interference from anybody and I am not answerable to anybody either!'' She adds, "The more the gossip, the more your success quotient!''

With Amala's huge success post Mynaa, it is easy to forget the young girl who is still studying for her BA in communicative English in a Kochi college and yearns to be just another normal girl. She may have been at the receiving end of speculation and gossip but her world revolves around her family and friends with whom she is often seen on her off days.

Amala is all praise when talking about her co stars, "Vikram is so very humble, even after so many films, one word of praise or call appreciating his performance is treasured so much by him. Maddy is an intelligent man and I have always been his fan. Arya is like my college buddy and Sameera cannot be considered a girl in the traditional sense because she is so adventurous and bold.''

Amala, a trained classical dancer, is now learning belly dancing and ballet and loves adventure sports like scuba diving and wants to do sky diving too!

It appears that the sky is the limit for this unassuming girl!