Amala Akkineni reveals how kodallu Sobhita Dhulipala, Zainab Ravdjee brought home joy, sensitivity towards Islam

Amala Akkineni spoke on a podcast about what Sobhita Dhulipala and Zainab Ravdjee are like as her kodallu (daughters-in-law).

Actor-activist Amala Akkineni spoke about her kodallu (daughters-in-law), Sobhita Dhulipala and Zainab Ravdjee, on a recent podcast. Talking to NTV, she mentioned how both of them brought love and joy into the Akkineni household after their weddings to Naga Chaitanya and Akhil Akkineni. Here’s what she said.

Naga Chaitanya, Sobhita Dhulipala, Amala Akkineni and Nagarjuna at Zainab Ravdjee and Akhil Akkineni's wedding.

Amala Akkineni about Sobhita Dhulipala, Zainab Ravdjee

Amala mentioned on the podcast that she was taught Telugu after her marriage to Nagarjuna by her atta garu (mother-in-law), Annapurna. When mentioned that she herself is an atta garu now to Sobhita and Zainab, she couldn’t help but gush about them.

Talking about Sobhita, she said, “It’s so wonderful. I have two lovely daughters-in-law. Of course, Sobhita is such a talented and independent, such a lovely young person. We have great admiration for her. She’s such an affectionate young lady. I really enjoy spending time with her.”

Amala also spoke about Zainab and added, “Zainab is a very warm human being. She’s very accomplished in her field. There’s so much love and joy in the house, it’s heartwarming. We are blessed to have lovely daughters. Zainab also brought a new sensibility and sensitivity towards Islam. She helped us understand how to make it comfortable for her to live in a Hindu home.”

Amala also revealed in the interview that her mother was a Catholic who adopted Sufism, and her father was Hindu. As for her father-in-law, ANR, he believed that work and humanity were worship above all, and her mother-in-law was Hindu. Amala practises Buddhism.

The Akkineni family weddings

The Akkineni family recently had double celebrations, thanks to Chaitanya and Akhil’s weddings. Chaitanya was married to Samantha Ruth Prabhu from 2017 to 2021. In 2022, he began dating Sobhita, whom he married in December 2024 after an engagement in August.

Akhil was engaged to Shriya Bhupal, granddaughter of a business tycoon, in 2016, but they separated before their 2017 wedding. He got engaged to Mumbai-based artist Zainab, daughter of industrialist Zulfi Ravdjee, in November 2024. The couple married in June this year.

For the uninitiated, Nagarjuna was married to Lakshmi Daggubati, the daughter of D Ramanaidu and sister of Venkatesh and Suresh Babu, from 1984 to 1990. Their son Chaitanya was born in 1986. He married Amala in 1992, and their son Akhil was born in 1994.