The interview which appears below, was originally aired on Rahmania - Aaha FM in October 2008. Interview excerpt is written by V.R. Vithur from the A.R. Rahman Yahoo Fans Group. ©The rights to this material are reserved to the owner. If you have any concerns or comments, please send an email to info@rahmaniac.com.
Q: How did you plan to enter the Cine Industry?
Anu: I didn’t plan anything. I never planned to act in cinema or do the TV shows that I am doing at present. I have an M.Sc. in Physics and a Master’s in Human Relations from BITS Pilani. I had a stereotypical attitude towards dealing with human relations because of my education. I worked at a company called Thermax when Suhasini Maam called me. She said she was going to direct a movie and asked if I would be interested in acting in it. I initially told her I wouldn’t act in a film. Suhasini’s first reaction was to ask if I knew how to act. She suggested I come for a screen test, as her cameraman and team had to approve. It felt like a challenge when my sister implied I didn’t know how to act. So, I decided to try it out playfully.
I have no specific goals in life, just a desire to enjoy the moment. I always see if I’m happy at that moment and if I can make my parents happy. Now, I realize if my parents are happy with me…
Acting in the movie was tremendously scary. I don’t like applying glycerine to my eyes for crying scenes; I prefer to immerse myself in the sequence. For example, in a scene in Indra, Aravind was supposed to kiss me. I didn’t know that was the scene we were shooting, but everyone else did and was watching me closely. In another scene, I genuinely cried, with my nose turning red. I was initially resistant, saying I wouldn’t do certain things. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, but I’m not sure if it made me happy.
After Indra, many directors started considering me for roles, and they still do. I ventured into business, then production, and later into acting in elder sister roles. I did seven films in that role, which eventually became boring, and then came ‘Coffee with Anu’.
I don’t watch the telecast of my show much, maybe only 10-15%. I see the opening and then leave it. It’s me from the heart. At the end of the show, I want people to come, enjoy, and leave happy. That’s my attitude and aim. I want a feel-good factor.
Q: Experiences about interviewing A.R. Rahman on the show?
Anu: I don’t know what made me think like that, but the moment I saw Rahman Sir, I felt like I was seeing a very delicate flower. I felt the need to handle him gently and protectively. I knew there were certain ways of questioning that could make him reveal more, but I didn’t want to disturb his harmony or upset him. He always exudes a sense of harmony. I can easily sense others’ sensitivities, and I observe them closely when interviewing people.
Rahman Sir has a habit of switching off when he’s uncomfortable. I know when people switch off, so I avoided asking anything that would make him uncomfortable. Throughout the show, my focus was on ensuring his comfort. Some might think I was melodramatic, but that was genuinely my intention.
After the show, many people asked why I was so silent. I wanted to maintain the hard-found harmony and ensure he remained comfortable till the end. My goal was for him to leave the program feeling okay.
Q: How did you react to the songs of Indra?
Anu: If I remember correctly, Priya, who was the Assistant Director at that time and is now a full-fledged director, was listening to the songs on a tape recorder. I was sitting with her and listened to the first alaap of “Acham Acham Illai.” While listening, I started drawing the map of India. So, every time I hear the alaap, I remember drawing the map of India with a piece of chalk.
Q: What was the experience working with Aravindsamy and working on the song “Thoda Thoda”?
Anu: Aravind is a gentleman. He is very polished and educated, unlike many other heroes. He felt like part of the family. During the shooting, I would stand in the mud where leeches were present. He would warn me not to stand there as it was filthy, but I insisted because Santosh Sivan had asked me to. The song is very romantic, epitomizing budding romance, but the shooting was different. Suhasini would ask me to look at Aravind romantically and plead with me, “Please give some romantic look at Aravind.”
I have a preference for rock and jazz music.
