It’s action for Amy Jackson: The actor on her love affair with Indian films

On International Women’s Day, Amy Jackson chats about how motherhood was ‘life-changing’ and why she’s into action films these days

The British flag is flying high inside Binny Mills at Perambur, Chennai. A location that has featured in prominent Tamil cinema sequences earlier, this place has been re-created as a London prison set, spread over 2.5 acres, for the shoot of upcoming Tamil film, Achcham Enbadhu Illaye.

Amy Jackson strides confidently into this jail set, reportedly put up at a cost of over 3.5 crore, on a late Monday evening. In a black blazer and crisp white shirt, she is all set to shoot a high-octane action sequence. Amy has had been in the same costume for the last 40 days, since which she began shooting for this Vijay-directional starring Arun Vijay.

A month and a half ago, Amy landed from London and headed straight to the London sets in Chennai. “Funny, isn’t it,” she says, in her trademark crisp British accent, “Just to enter this set and watch the British flag fly high, right here in Chennai, feels so surreal.”

However, this was not always the plan. The makers of this Tamil film had originally planned to shoot this action thriller in London, but the logistics did not fall in place. “I remember Vijay calling me and saying that he had this new film and that it would be shot in London. I was like, ‘Great, that’s going to be easy.’ Then, things changed, and we had to shoot the same sequences right here in Chennai...” she says.

The trip to India has sparked off several pleasant memories for Amy, who made her debut in the 2010 Tamil film Madrasapattinam, also directed by Vijay. “I was so excited because this was the place where my film journey began.”

In Achcham Enbadhu Illaye, Amy will play Sandra James, a prison guard who is a key character in an action thriller, packed with emotion. “I know every actor will tell you, ‘Oh, I have fallen in love with the script’, but I joined this first because it was Vijay’s film and I know he has the best interests in his heart for me. The script is also kickass, has so much scope for action, having four major sequences woven into it.” Her tryst with martial arts and boxing came in handy while shooting them. “We’ve not held back at all.”

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