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Capturing cultures on camera

Having begun her career in advertising, Anu Malhotra, who has lived in various parts of India, now travels around the country to make documentaries shedding light on its diverse cultures, says Madhur Tankha

Travelling has always been her passion. And for more than a decade, director and producer of television documentaries Anu Malhotra has been pursuing her hobby with the single-minded dedication of making insightful short films that shed light on the life and culture of people living across the country.

As her father was in the Air Force, Anu says she has lived in various parts of the country like Chennai, Kolkata, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir. As a result, she developed a "bond" with all these places.

Starting off her career in advertising, where she made her first few films for the "Incredible India" campaign, Anu decided to make documentary films for television. "I set up my company AIM Television in 1994. Initially I made some ad films, but later switched to documentaries,'' she says.

Before travel show "Namaste India" was aired on the small screen, Anu says people living in cities, towns and villages knew little about the rest of the country. "It was the first travel show that gave Indians a glimpse into what their country was all about. From 1994 to 1996, the show ran popularly on Zee TV as at that time there were few travel magazines."

Anu was bowled over by the hospitality of the people living in far-flung villages of the country. "People in the North-East invited me and my crew to their homes and served us local dishes. We did face language problem while travelling to remote interiors of Nagaland. We had to take an interpreter with us."

Anu got a chance to interact closely with people of the North-East while making two one-hour documentaries titled "The Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh" and "The Konyak of Nagaland". Focusing on the lifestyle and ancient wisdom of indigenous people, the films have been aired on various international channels.

Sharing her experience in the North-East, Anu says: "Tribal groups have certain values and living traditions that even people living in cosmopolitan cities don't have. These deep-rooted traditions still exist and city dwellers must learn from them. Moreover, tribal groups share a special bond with mother nature."

Jammu and Kashmir was an equally exciting experience for her. She travelled across the State in a car with only four members accompanying her. "Just before the Kargil war, we travelled across the Valley. I had a wonderful experience in Kashmir," says the filmmaker.

Taking a peek into the lifestyle of the royals was "The Maharaja of Jodhpur", a documentary film on the life of Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur.

"I shot the film for a year as I wanted people to see for themselves the life of the royals. So over a year of filming in Jodhpur, I became well acquainted with its fascinating history, geography and cultural heritage."

Besides bringing an insight into the history and cultural ethos of the royals of Rajasthan, the film focused on the private world of royal durbars, traditional ceremonial rituals and royal processions.

Touching the hearts of people cutting across religious divide was the reality television show "Haath Se Haath Milaa". "With BBC World Service Trust, I made the 52-episode series for DD1 to create awareness about HIV and AIDS. The show is still running,'' says Anu, adding that to make the series a riveting one, she roped in Bollywood stars like John Abraham, Bipasha Basu, Shilpa Shetty, Fardeen Khan and Vivek Oberoi among others.

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