Of a man and his thoughts

Anil Annaiah, an author, writer and film-maker, juggles a lot of things and makes sure that he excels in each. Anil is passionate about photography, writing and makes only those films that have a definite message in them.

It is his experiment with the camera that got him face-to-face with late Dr Rajkumar in 1989. “I was always in awe of Dr Rajkumar. His simplicity, intellect and kindness are what made him popular among the people. When I met him, I was fortunate to take a picture of Dr Rajkumar, wherein he actually posed for me,” Anil tells Metrolife.    
Anil confesses that meeting the great man changed his life. “I quickly grabbed a piece of paper and handed it to Dr Rajkumar and asked him to write me a message and he wrote preetiya devaru in Kannada. Those words carried a lot of meaning and are more relevant today than ever before. I’ve chosen his message as the title of my film and hope to knit together three meaningful stories, in one film,”explains Anil.  

Dr Rajkumar, observes Anil, was among the very few actors who connected with the audience in a wholesome manner. “His social thoughts and messages reached every household and a lot of people were influenced by him,” he says. People have always loved cinema and the stories told through cinema have always impacted man’s thinking. “I hope to tell meaningful stories and not just something commercial. It would be great if I get corporate funding since the corporate world has to set its focus on social impact and change for true sustainability. It has to make efforts to reach the minds and hearts of humanity at large. And what better way to do that than through cinema?” feels Anil. 

Anil hopes to incorporate some of his thoughts penned in his book, ‘Nobody Speaks to Me’, in the movie. How does he intend to do that? “The crux of the book is that there’s so much communication floating around us but nothing really touches the inner self. We tend to react to situations, sometimes without thinking. I will add this to the film because films empower society with ideas,” he concludes.