Even though we are in 2026 now, our society still hasn’t gotten over its obsession with female bodies. From the clothes they wear to their reproductive rights, the patriarchal society is adamant about expressing its unsolicited opinion on everything related to women. As a result, female actors also frequently face immense scrutiny for simply doing their jobs and fulfilling the demands of their roles.

Hence, when she had to appear nude for a significant portion of screen time in director Rathna Kumar’s thriller film Aadai (2019), it wasn’t an easy decision for actor Amala Paul. Knowing she would face backlash from a section of the audience who object to such depictions, Amala had to ensure the makers handled the nudity tastefully, without making it the selling point.

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How Amala Paul approached Aadai’s nude scene

In the film, she plays a woman who finds herself trapped in an abandoned building, naked, and unable to find a way out safely. “The interesting part is, this is also a girl who talks about freedom and says that clothes aren’t a big deal — someone who talks big — and when she lands in a situation like that, she has to face the dark truth. I had a lot of apprehension because it was a very vulnerable spot I was putting myself in,” she said, while speaking to .

Before committing to the role, Amala Paul said she wanted to understand how the makers approached the concept. She stated, “I needed to trust the director and the cinematographer. My whole thinking was, are these people up for making an aesthetic film where it is emotionally driven, or is it about nudity?”

“It (the decision to do the movie) was not immediate. Once I had the trust and was convinced that this was going to be creatively shot, it was a very beautiful creative process for all of us. They made me feel comfortable with minimal people on set. I was pretty kicked about this whole experience, which was so realistic,” she added.

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Why Amala Paul wouldn’t do Aadai today

Nevertheless, Amala Paul admitted that she was scared about her image. “I did not want to be stereotyped and do more such films,” she pointed out. She added, “If you ask me to do an Aadai right now, I don’t think I would do it. It is not only about confidence but also about becoming a little wiser. Experience teaches you a lot. However, I am grateful about the experience.”

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During the session, she also commended Malayalam cinema for taking on bold themes, its willingness to experiment, and its refusal to conform to market mandates.

Amala Paul lauds Malayalam cinema

When asked what sets the industry apart, she said, “If I had to answer in one word, I would say it’s the guts. Malayalees really have guts, and I think we have always been like that, even if we go back to the ’70s and ’80s. It is about characters that we can never really imagine as a hero. I feel any normal industry wouldn’t take such a step. Everybody naturally tends to have a male protagonist who is over-the-top, someone special. But in the Malayalam industry, you can see the most normal and rooted people who we see in our real life. I think that is what is interesting when you see that with such subtle and realistic performances.”

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She added, “I always have these metres. In Tamil, there is an acting metre; in Telugu, the metre is different based on the director and the culture. In Malayalam, there is no metre. You have to be the character, and there is no other way.”

Amala Paul was most recently seen in director Arfaz Ayub’s Level Cross (2024), where she scared the screen with Asif Ali.