When she speaks, Anu Hasan is anything but intimidating. The unassuming actress has an infectious vivacity that works its charm throughout the conversation. Wearing a simple white kurti and jeans, she appears high in stature and lovely. And true to her demeanour, Anu sounds super excited about whatever topic she discusses, from films to business to books. The actress is in the state for the launch of her first Malayalam movie, Kunthapura, a biopic with nationalism as its theme.
Being the multi-tasker that she is, Anu Hasan wears the many hats of producer, actor, television anchor, entrepreneur, jazz singer, martial arts expert and writer with aplomb. Ask her how she manages to dabble in so many fields and the bubbly lady whispers, “I will reveal the secret to you. I have no fear of failure, and everything is challenging for me.” And then she narrates a recent experience. “I am playing a hockey coach in an upcoming Tamil movie, Aakki. As we started the shooting after two days’ rehearsal, all I had was my experience as a basketball player. But I was not afraid, and performed as well as I could,” she laughs.
Talking about Kunthapura, Anu says, “The film is simple yet intriguing and I play Gowri Iyer, a journalist working with Channel 8, who is geared up to unravel some secrets about the yesteryear warriors, the unsung heroes of our nation.” Explaining how the movie came her way, Anu says, “It was my chittappa (actor Charuhasan who is Anu’s father Chandrahasan’s brother) who introduced me to Joe Eshwar, describing him as a vibrant young man. And when Joe told me the story, I immediately liked it for its theme.” The film is about people living in a different period, different ethnicity, and it gently reminds us to turn back and think about those who worked for the freedom we today take for granted,” she says.
Anu, who made her debut as an actor through her cousin Suhasini’s award-winning movie Indira, has also associated with her uncle Kamal Hasan in Aalavanthan and Nala Damayanthi. However Kunthapura is the first movie in which she is sharing screen space with Charuhasan. Reminiscing about the shooting experience with the national award winning actor, she says, “Chittappa plays Krishnappa Shastri, an 80-year-old beaten and bruised man. In one of the emotionally driven scenes, he is seen clutching the national flag. I had a lump in my throat watching his stellar performance,” she gushes.
The Tamil audience remembers Anu as one of its best anchors. Her celebrity talk show Koffee With Anu was well-rated and popular. She has been a judge on the cookery show, Asal Suvai too.
What excites the multi-faceted artist now apart from her movie projects are her new book launch, television ads and her business company. Regarding her book Sunny Side Up that will be released on July 15, her birthday, she says, “The book is a self-help catalogue, which speaks about my journey in life so far. It is an honest effort and quite simple, just like me.”
The actress, stationed in London, has two other Tamil movies in her kitty,Yen Endraal Kaadal Enben’ and Aayiram Kanavugal. “IVY Mobility, my firm also occupies my time,” she signs off.