Author Anita Nair is on Cloud Nine. May be 10! Her maiden entry into the silver screen has bagged a national award. “I am excited,” Anita told City Express, reacting to Lessons in Forgetting being selected as the best feature film in English category. Lessons in Forgetting is the first film adaptation of Anita's book, with the same name. “It is also my first screenplay. It is my entry into the film world and to get a national award, well, you know it's a great feeling,” Anita said.
She was shopping in a mall when the film's director Unni Vijayan called her up informing about the award. “It is the story of a woman, whose life changes after her husband walks out of marriage all of a sudden. Then she meets another man who is struggling to find how his daughter turned into a vegetative state of health. His eagerness to know what happened to his daughter and how suddenly this woman becomes a lifeline for the man and his daughter, is what the story is all about,” says Anita.
Interestingly, Unni and producer Prince Thampi met Anita in 2010 with the idea of making a film based on her other book - Mistress. “I wasn't sure whether Mistress would blend so easily on to the film screen. I suggested them to give thought on Lessons in Forgetting instead. They went back, read the book and came back with a smile. Both of them have teenage daughters and they were very disturbed after reading the book,” Anita said when asked about the idea of the film.
Anita says that she got involved with the film not just as a screenplay writer, but also looked into set design, music direction among others. “I am in talks with a director for the next movie, based on my book Cut Like Wound, which will be multi-lingual,” says Anita.
Lessons in Forgetting releases in theatres on April 19 all over India.