Amala Paul on Aadai reviews: I am not a feminist; the film has nothing to do with feminism

Amala Paul's latest film, Aadai, was released last week to mixed reviews from the audience. While some lauded the bold script and the subtexts, a few more were of the opinion that the movie's preachy tone was a bit offputting.

Now, Amala Paul, responding to some of the allegations, has talked about the film and her character, in an interview to a popular Tamil magazine. 

Amala has said that Kamini's honesty made her accept the role. "Everything about Aadai is honest. Aadai is something we use to cover our body. But this Aadai (the film) has been shot to reveal quite some truths. Through this film, many have come to realize what a prank actually is. To quote from the film, "Prank is something that we do to people we know. If we do it to strangers, then it becomes a nuisance. I know many people who have experienced these kinds of events in their life and they could easily connect with this film," she said. 

Amala also added that they wanted to make a point on the perception of independence. "Everyone has an opinion on what 'independence' means to them, but what is actual freedom? That is what we have tried to show in this film," she remarked.

Amala also claimed that the media reporting surrounding this film has been full of headlines, which were not reflective of the true nature of Aadai. "It's a dishonest practice. We haven't taken such a film. The first look and teaser of this film were the best we could do without revealing the storyline. Usually, in Youtube videos, thumbnails will advertise something, but the content will be entirely different. But nothing of that sort has happened with this film. If at all something like that was present, the controversy would have continued after the film's release. I guess we were honest about what this film is and what it isn't, even before the release. We haven't cheated anyone nor we have led anyone on the wrong path, or made anyone watch our film under pressure," she said.

Amala further said that they have never spoken feminism in the film. "Kamini is an independent, bold, and brave girl. She rides a bike. All these words and actions don't depict feminism. Even when Kamini's mother asks her what feminism is, she doesn't explain it to her. If I have to go a step further, I would say that the word feminism has been misconstrued throughout the world. Even when I was shooting for this film, I didn't think of it as some kind of feminist statement. This is just a film about what happens in the life of a girl called Kamini because of her actions. Apart from the fact that she is a girl, nothing even remotely is feminist about Aadai.

Amala went on to add that she wasn't a feminist. "I don't want to be bound by the confines of modern-day feminism. Whatever I can I will do it," she said.