On my pinboard - Kavitha Lankesh

Kavitha Lankesh is a national award-winning filmmaker who doesn’t believe in remakes. She finds creative satisfaction in the many original works she has churned out so far.

Her debut film, ‘Deveeri’ won 12 awards across the world and another project, ‘Preethi, Prema, Pranaya’ also bagged a national award. Kavitha also runs a resort exclusively for children and is an animal lover.  She has 2 dogs, a cat, 4 ducks, goats and cows. She is also a passionate agriculturist.

1 | Inspiration
Gauri Lankesh

“My mother and sister Gauri Lankesh are my biggest inspirations. I envy my sister’s ability to not care about money but fight for other people’s causes, be it personal or political. She is my best friend and my biggest critic. My parents were very forward
in their thinking and were very liberal in the way they brought us up. My mother went through a lot of hardship to raise us and make us independent individuals. My strength to tide over any difficulty comes from my mother who believes nothing is impossible.”

2 | Cinema
Anant Nag

“I was crazy about movies from my college days. I would bunk classes and watch at least 2 or 3 movies a day. I could never imagine my life without cinema. My all-time favourite actors are Anant Nag, Kishor, Ramya, Mohanlal, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui just to mention a few. These are some of the finest actors today. I also admire the work of Malayalam director Anjali Menon. She
effortlessly blends art and commercial elements of cinema to create something beautiful.”

3 | Travel
Paris

“I have travelled half the world but yearn to see more. While I like the buzz and
energy of cities like Mumbai and Paris, I equally enjoy visiting small villages. Getting away from the rush of the city and spending time in a village where so much life happens but more serenely is a thoroughly soulful experience.”

4 | Music
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

“Music from a simple flute can create varied emotions in me. The bass can create melancholy and a high-pitched note triggers happiness. I enjoy listening to Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and violinist L Subramaniam. I could also listen to Honey Singh, Badshah and our own Kannada music director Harikrishna. Old country, Hindi and Kannada songs make me a bit nostalgic. So, the choice of what I want to listen to is largely mood based.”

5 | Cuisine
‘Bisibelebath’

“I am a vegetarian and I love just about anything vegetarian. I
am a small and simple eater.  ‘Bisibelabath’, ‘Chitranna’, ‘Mysore Pak’ and ‘Badam Halwa’ are some of my favourites. I am a good cook and try out delicious
experiments in vegetarian dishes. I make out a lot of Indian, Chinese and Italian cuisine. My daughter Esha is 11 years old; though, like any other child, she likes her burgers and fast food, she also loves my cooking.”

6 | Philosophy
Staying fit

“I believe a healthy body houses a healthy mind. I am a very restless person by nature. If I am not working then I would like to sweat it out at the gym, do yoga, go for a brisk walk with my dogs or play badminton. My philosophy is if you are restless, put it to use in a positive way.”

7 | Author
Saadat Hasan Manto

“I picked up the habit of reading from a very young age and till today, I can never go to bed without finishing a book. The works of authors like Saadat Hasan Manto, Perumal Murugan, Khushwant Singh, my father P Lankesh have influenced and shaped my thinking to a large extent. Some books have inspired me to bring them on the celluloid. I remember my father always gave us a blank cheque to buy as many books as we wanted to.”