Critical thinking and curiosity are the key to creativity.
Amala Akkineni
I am half Bengali and half Irish by birth.
My mom is Irish. She is a poet and a humanitarian who believed in ensuring that people around her had a better life.
I do not make resolutions for New Year, but visualise and plan things.
Doing films is not fun or glamorous as it seems.
I am working for various NGOs and looking after my home.
Everyone is born with it but, unfortunately, our society and culture are programmed to kill creativity.
The discussion of animal rights in jallikattu has been misunderstood. We know that the tails of the bulls are broken, that chilly powder is rubbed into their eyes and they are forcibly fed country liquor. The animal is overwhelmed and does not know what is happening.
I would like to clarify that the only adoption I am involved is through the Blue Cross Animal Welfare Shelter where we provide healthy and friendly homeless animals for adoption.
When you start off as a dancer, you don't become one overnight; you must train for more than a decade.
I don't feel the need to act. But if I really like the role and it doesn't demand much of my time, maybe.
I know what it is to be a mother of sons in real life.
I tend to gravitate towards very simple, minimalistic styles.
I was always an animal lover. Even back in school and college, an animal in need of help was my responsibility.
I never imagined I would wear a silk sari as I practice Ahimsa.
In Mumbai and Chennai there is method in the madness. Despite its large crowds there is a 'live and let live' spirit and a connection with good.
If you are seeking fame without the requisite talent, you might wander.
You have to be innovative and creative to make yourself employable.
My father was from East Bengal. Having lost everything to the Partition, he came as a refugee.
There's innocence in a young mind, say 18 or 21, writing a script. But we have to acknowledge that they have to open up to life's experiences to be able to add those layers of depth into the script.
Rukmini Devi was an icon for all the Bharat Natyam students at Kalakshetra. I grew up watching her at dance school and I associate her style with grace and humility - it's never the clothes, it's the persona.
Nobody realises that speaking Malayalam is a big challenge for me.
Nelson Mandela, Dada Vaswani, Harsh Mander, Shabana Azmi - I admire their humanitarian work. But sadly even Nelson Mandela could not keep corruption out of his cabinet and within a year, I am told, the victims of apartheid turned into perpetrators of corruption on their own people. Greed has no boundaries of colour or country does it?
The day I set foot in Hyderabad, I saw an animal being hit by a vehicle. The city did not have a shelter for the bleeding animal, and I brought it home. In less than a month, our house was home to all kinds of animals - a buffalo with a broken hip, a blind mongoose, goats, dogs, cats.
Personally, I have met many widows who've been thrown out of their homes. I had done a fund-raising event to help widows supported by Bala Vikasa group in Warangal.
When the Hyderabad Chapter of TFI approached me to be a part of their Leaders in Classroom event, I readily agreed to be a part of it. It was a great classroom experience. I really enjoyed myself. The kids were very expressive and it was heartening to say the least.
We live in a country with a vast majority of people below the poverty line. Our natural resources are limited and getting scarcer.
My life is rich in experiences and opportunities and I am living it to the fullest.
Children don't have anywhere to go except cinema halls, malls and restaurants. All three aren't ideal places for kids to grow up in.
There's is a fine line between living one's truth and looking good.
It is nice to go down the memory lane and remember who I am and what my roots are.
What I find most deplorable is cruelty of spirit - racism, casteism, and religious or social prejudice.
War is such a wasteful activity.
We all go through phases; in one such phase, I was interested to know about the psychic phenomenon.
A whole generation is moving away from highly ritualistic practices into a more thinking, spiritual process. By spiritual, I don't refer to a cult or a guru. In your heart, you continue to feel the presence of people who've been dear to you even after they've left.
I was extremely close to my mother-in-law and after she, and later my father-in-law passed away, I continue to feel their presence.
A story has to have several layers to sustain audience interest in each episode.
Birds and animals in the wild migrate every year to safer and nurturing pastures, leaving behind the old environment. After nurturing their young ones, they return to thrive in the old environs. I use that analogy to meditate. You migrate to your inner soul, nurture the strength, light and creativity there, and return.
I was at my wit's end trying to solve the world's problems. I was frustrated that I could do very little. That frustration took me to Vipassana.
It helps to have a fit body if you are meditating. Yoga conditions the body so that the mind can meditate.
As an actor, you are always looking for something different and challenging... 'High Priestess' gave me that rare opportunity.
I love pushing myself and I think being in a comfort zone perennially can restrict your growth.
People love a good thriller that makes them sit on their edge of their seats.
I pick up pieces at Fabindia or The Deccan Story in Hyderabad. The owner of the store, Keerthi Reddy, does lovely customised outfits, including khadi kurtas with a soft lining.
I love saris from Shravan Kumar.
While growing up we all did our own work' I remember, we had a sign on our bathroom door which said 'Gandhiji cleaned his own bathrooms, so must you.'
My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds and buffaloes everywhere.
Like Hyderabad you can't shoot outside in summers. Similarly, Delhi gets scorching in summers.
I can't hang out for roles but if something meaningful comes my way I don't say no.
Only a niche section of parents allow their children to take up courses on film and television.
