A N Prasanna, fiction writer, releases book on cinema

A N Prasanna, retired engineer, writer of fiction and maker of telefilms, decided to create something out of his passion for cinema. In 2015, he wrote ‘Chitrapravancha’, a book on world cinema, in which he talks about 30 films. “Some of the films are classics. Some are award-winners with a cult following. I wrote the book because of my passion for films, nothing else,” shares Prasanna.

A keen admirer of cinema since childhood, he began to explore the nuances of film and film making at a very young age. “Back then, even the good films were difficult to come by. But, as I grew older movies became more accessible. It was in the ’90s that I began studying cinema,” he says.

In 2017, he published the ‘Chitrakathaya Swaroopa’, a textbook of sorts for those who wish to write screenplays. He took examples from Kannada hits to make the book more comprehensive. The motivation came out of his own previous attempts to make serials and telefilms. “I wrote it for people interested in making films, and I thought this would help,” he explains. It took him about three years to write the book.

His latest book, ‘Prathipalana’ is a collection of short stores. “I am 75, I might not be writing frequently anymore,” he says. His book on screenplay writing is published by Kanva Publications (080 23206778, 9980021101), and is priced at Rs 160. Prasanna may be contacted on [e-mail].