The stamp of will

The stamp of will

chatline Writer, creative director and line producer Anees Tanvir talks about today’s release Muththirai. malathi rangarajan listens in

cocktail of action, romance and comedy From Muththirai

You could take a lesson or two in grit and determination from Anees Tanvir, who is back as writer, creative director and line producer of Muththirai. “I had little choice. I had to be strong for the sake of my two daughters. There was no time to mourn the death of my husband,” begins the widow of cinematographer Jeeva.

A designer-turned-filmmaker, Anees Tanvir is all set for a new innings in cinema with Muththirai, which opens today. She is in Mumbai when you call her up and the lady sounds upbeat about her current ventures.

“We are going in for a direct release,” she says with confidence, despite the fact that she has opted for a not-so-famous cast. “Basically it is a thriller, a story of two petty thieves, their peccadilloes and problems, told with a touch of levity. Daniel Balaji is a fantastic actor who has done negative roles convincingly, and the role of a simpleton with a comic slant fits Nitin Sathya like a glove. The script is strong and I can assure you we’ve made a decent film,” says Anees.

But if she had wished she could have gone in for a popular hero. “True, but the fact is I didn’t want to use Jeeva’s name to curry favour from anyone. And as I said the cast has turned up trumps. You’ll know when you watch the film.”

And before you could move on to the next poser, she clarifies, “I was a designer by default. I’ve no background in designing. After marriage Jeeva’s career was peaking and I couldn’t afford to be away from home for long. Very casually I took up an assignment for Simran. We hit it off and soon I began to work in all her films. No regrets, Jeeva gave me everything and I was a happy homemaker designing costumes,” she smiles sardonically.

It was her 13-year-old daughter who goaded her to get back to work. “‘Move on mom,’ she said, and I began to,” smiles Anees. She worked with director Manikandan to ensure that her husband’s Dhaam Dhoom was completed and released successfully.

Vision Jeeva Studios and Vikram Bhatt’s ASA Productions have come together for Muththirai, and Anees dons many hats for the project. The terrain isn’t exactly new. As assistant director to P.C. Sreeram and Jayendra, Anees has worked in more than 150 commercials. “Jeeva was PC’s camera assistant then and that’s where we met.”

Jeeva’s sudden end in Russia where he had gone with his crew for the shoot of Dhaam Dhoom was too much of a shock for Anees and her daughters. The problems were compounded by family squabbles. “Those who tried to aggravate my woes showed their true colours after Jeeva’s death. They never dared to confront him when he was alive. But I’m thankful to them because otherwise I might not have come out of my cocoon so soon andMuththirai might have taken much longer,” Anees lets off steam.