Author Archive for Aakaar Films
Luminaries
Facilitating Interviews with Important Personalities
Getting interviews with Luminaries in India is like agreeing to put your hand in a beehive – from the sting to the honey. The first “sting” is felt when one has to find right sources of networking to writing trillions of letters of request for appointment, then the follow-ups till you know each and every voice/road/corner/location/state/country/continent… (you may leave out the last two!!) of the luminaries whereabouts… and then there is the nectar of “sweet honey” of actually getting to be in the auspicious presence of the person –in-person!
It does not matter if you are working on a project that involves the country’s best Government departments, where you may assume that the letter containing the masthead of Ashoka’s pillar would weave its magic when you attach it with your covering letter – you are completely off track! The luminaries have to play their power of presence game, and you better toe-the-line.
AAKAAR FILMS has always managed to do the magic – from getting the Honourable Former President of India Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for the Pan African e-Network film to meeting the ‘Amitabh Bachchan of South India’ – Superstar Kamal Hassan for the film Cinema With A Purpose. We managed to trace the link from personal assistants to personal relatives to personal security guards… and the audience happened.
And what an audience… that is why they truly belong to the hearts of masses!!
AAKAAR FILMS team with the former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
With Superstar – Kamal Hassan
Click here to see more photographs of the AAKAAR FILMS team with various Luminaries.
5 State(ment)s of Dis-empowerment
The Five State(ment)s of Dis-empowerment in Marriage… and the way to Empowerment
1.
WO-MAN
My husband gives me all the freedom.
HE is not doing any special favour. You are born free.
My wife is constantly checks/asks about mobile messages, picks-up my phone if ringing, keeps a note on who is on my facebook…
SHE is abusing your private space. BUT re-visit your past and see if you “out of love” allowed her this space in the first place! It is never too late to say “NO”.
2.
My husband does not like my friend as s/he is very bold/shares her/his feelings with me as a trusted friend would.
My wife feels that my female colleague/friend is “too close” to me – although it is a plain platonic friendship. It is better that I do not relate to her anymore, as I fear the tension it creates.
Thus, I have let my friend go.
You have a right to choose friends, just as S/HE does. It is one fe/male friend today, there will be another tomorrow… It is not a power-game. It should be a partnership based on love. Not FEAR.
3.
I should not have gone out of the way to advise/support my side of the family. It upsets my husband.
Your side of the family does not become “alien” because HE thinks so. Otherwise, HE too should not “go out of the way” to advise/support his family – does that really/rarely happen?
My wife (Read as: Educated, CEO & Ambitious) feels it is such a waste of time on a weekend to listen to my mother (Educated but home-maker) discussing her “sarees, jewellery, family & kitty party friends!”
A weekend for a mother that has given “you” as a precious gift to your wife should be spent on “listening to her desire”. It does not have “ambition”, but love.
4.
It was not my right to comment /suggest in front of his friends. He called me “stupid” in front of them, and asked me to “keep quiet”.
This is a form of abuse. To call names/downsize you in front of people (or in isolation). Would you be able to do the same to him?
She is always correcting/advising me. There can never be a discussion. It is always an argument leading to fights. I have stopped responding and now keep quiet. There is less tension.
Is it?
You now have blood pressure/diabetes/overweight/heart ailment/ulcer/addiction… or another relationship!
Silence is not always golden. Especially in marriage. You are being abused.
5.
How can I refuse intimacy (read – sex) to my husband even if I was not feeling like? He was in such great mood!
You have a right to refuse. Otherwise, it is sexual abuse – very common in marriages.
She does not like my experiments with intimacy (read-sexual acts). She does not like to discuss. It has become the same boring “job” that I must do being a man! There is no excitement left of exploration.
WO-MAN (read-wife) – On the above note – Participate. Innovate. Motivate.
If Not – QUESTION the relationship!
Dynamics of Love & Duty
“I love you, but how can I leave my marital home legally as I am bound by duty to look after my children! I feel torn apart and do not know what to do?” – A statement that stunned my dear friend who had a twelve year long relationship with this married man. He was not like one of those “I will have a side but discreet affair” types – he was a rarest of rare species of those men who truly, openly and honestly loved my friend, but when the moment of decision to move-in occurred, these were his words (I will mention her dis-empowering decision on this too later- so you male species may not claw out my eyes!), that later tore the relationship apart.
In this hypocritical society that we live, adorned with many masks – besides other unconscious facts, it is ingrained in the male bone and marrow (yes, this is a very male/masochistic trait, as woman have no choice) that love and duty are one and the same emotion. Most of the men are fed in their mother’s milk that they are duty-bound – towards their mother, sister, girlfriend, wife, children, society, country… well, it is an exhaustive list… burdening them with a ego-centric feel of being the power centre! Yes, I use both the words “burden” and “power” deliberately, as internally even if they feel totally depleted within their hearts and souls, the “good boy” power game keeps them going – for more.
Love is an emotion that is a happening, not doing. Love carries that energy of empowerment which uplifts one’s inner being to a sense of exhalation in its expansiveness. Love may be sensual, sexual or spiritual – it does not really matter, because in that defining moment (termed as aha!), the sense of freedom and bliss reign supreme. It is the only emotion gifted to human beings by this universe/God/existence (you may name whatever!) that gives a “thumbs-down” sign to the mind, which crumbles under this unknown energy. It is not a “mind game” but God’s play, or the leela.
Duty is totally a mind and a very male game. It is a doing that dis-empowers the soul and crushes all the soft edges that has been bestowed to us by this universe/God/existence. It is a conditioning that the society feeds, so that a man is never free. Men live in love-less marriages of being a provider, parental subservience in the name of respect, while their ego-centric mind feeds them with duty-bound beliefs. Men, who could have flowered into beautiful souls; Men, who could be in loving partnerships; Men, who have a better capability of being great meditators due to their ease-ness in being alone – these very species lie buried under the acts of duty, very bored with life in its existing form. Thus, they are bound to look for “exciting ventures” – the most common being “women”!
It is a total shift in empowerment that is required. That which is created with awareness of self, with conscious choices made to stand by the emotions that are related to freedom and joy. If a relationship is throbbing and pulsating with these two emotions – between man and woman; between parents and children – it is worth an exploration which will lead you to a path of greater spiritual freedom, as it is Love.
Rest, is all a Duty!
Home TV & Private Production Houses
Anu Radha has worked as a Supervising Producer for programming for Home TV (The Hindustan Times group) & a private production house (New Delhi). This involved marketing, sponsorship, production, scripting and directing Lifestyle and Chat shows for the channel (Chat & Talk shows with Mallika Sarabhai and Karan Thapar). She has developed the Documentary division for the private news channel working with Sony and Zee TV. She has also been responsible for generating sponsorship and programme management involving budget, production and sponsorship.
Compromise
COMPROMISE and ADJUSTMENT – The two most dis-empowering words
Life’s meandering paths at every “cross” bring forth two words within lengthy dominating statements – “You must compromise if peace is to be maintained”, or “You will need/must learn to adjust with people/family/circumstances…” (Do not miss the “You” – always pointed at the woman or those men who have a feminine or passive approach towards life.)
Of course, that is the only approach and semblance of sanity. Is it? Have we ever asked the “You” whose individuality is being sacrificed at the altar, thus developing a false personality? The “you” that is always burdened under the garb of these good looking words, hiding the ugliness of control and dependency; covering the causal dis-respect to self; inflating the false egos of male-ness existing in the society.
(P.S: “Males”, do not hurt yourself – this finger (whichever it is!) is not pointing to the physicality of your external gender, but to the internal psyche that maybe feminine or masculine).
Why do we so often use the two words “compromise” and “adjustment” as sacrosanct, when its reflection on the human psyche has only resulted in turmoil and regression? If we look within the walls of our emotional self, it is crumbling under the pressure of hypocritical masks that we “choose” to wear for fear of rejection.
The flowering of self empowerment happens when there are no walls, but an open sky – between “us” as a whole; between loving and being; between acceptance and surrender… that is the journey to BE.
100% Steps To Empowerment
- Share 100%. Bliss showers.
- Be passionate 100%. Celibacy will follow.
- Be angry 100%. Compassion is born.
- Love the other intensely, totally and earnestly 100%. Ability to Let Go becomes easy.
- Let the other BE 100%. Freedom will prevail in both.
- Listen 100%. Communion of others will follow.
- Cry 100%. Mirror of the soul will have a new shine.
- The secret of 100% Laughter? Only IF you have cried 100%!!
- There are only right actions. If you are aware 100%.
- Give 100%. You will get it all back.
- Be 100% ordinary. It is an extraordinary quality.
- Relax 100% in Non-doing. Rightful doing will be born.
- Meditate in silence 100%. Peace and Joy will be your beloved.
Documentary Production
Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
An extensive documentary film shoot in India – 6 destinations, limited budget, time constraints – all inclusive with a high demand on quality! The AAKAAR team sat down and the strategy developed was – sponsorship on stay and air travel, government permissions to shoot heritage locations at no/minimal cost, all interviews – there were 12 interviews with top level actors, directors, academicians and critics spread across 6 destinations in India (North, South, East & West – well, we were asked by the client to show diversity!), all interviews to be fixed one after the other, in line with our travel schedule so that we utilize man hours and days without any break in the journey! Seems impossible? – well, AAKAAR did it and the film was sent for the film festival by the client for high quality production!
Watch the resulting films:
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The Flag
Pride of a nation. A perfect symbol for an integrated country, one as vast and diverse as India.
India has its heartbeat in the grassroot as well as in the traditional modernity with a penchant for patriotism woven into each soul. This is what we caught on camera while creating a different kind of Anthem. Shot across the country, from Central India to extreme South; from the rural West to cultural East, Anthem weaves a story in vignettes of color and vibrancy amongst men and women; young and old; urban and rural.
As the AAKAAR team traversed the length and breadth of the country bearing the Indian Tricolour, the National Flag, we were left spellbound as each of the participants in the film came forward eagerly and held it with pride. Gathering and creating rows of men and women in villages; keeping them sitting or standing still in one position in the hot and sultry sun; directing them to “look into” the camera wherever it travelled – in track & trolley or on a crane; making the children run atop a steep hill slope and then back down again; the 360 degree revolution… it was a journey of thousand smiles that germinated from a small seed of an idea.
National Literacy Mission
The jingle for creating awareness of Adult Education amongst women was commissioned by the Department of Adult Education (Ministry of Human Resource & Development, Government of India).
Road Less Travelled: The Pathbreakers
The great intangible is the way you make people think in a different way. This is what we experienced while filming our favourite documentary “The Pathbreakers”, a film that talks of the power of an individual to change the lives of many by uplifting the community through sheer grit, determination and commitment. One face from among a crowd of billion people in the country has succeeded in reversing the insurmountable problems and shaken society from its apathy. These are individuals that stand out as an example of all that is possible.
There is Chandralekha, who broke an age-old tradition of her village, where it was customary for every daughter to follow in her mother’s footsteps and join the oldest profession in the world of being a sex worker. There is Ladakh’s Glacier man, Chewang Norphel, who makes artificial glaciers in winter so that villagers can get water in summer for their fields.
Your soul is touched when you meet Shamshad Khan, the man who spearheaded the movement to rid the carpet weaving industry of child labor and welcomed the children into the world of literacy.
The journey to film such documentaries drains the heart out and numbs the mind. But it also humbles us in many ways, reminding us of the gifts that we have been privileged with.
Showcased in New Delhi (India) and London’s prestigious Nehru Centre, The Pathbreakers is now a series made every year by the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
Child Labour in India
A developing nation like India has been on focus at the international forums for its growth and policies. Child Labour has always been a question that still raises eyebrows on these platforms. This is a film that sheds light on how Indian Government has been making persistent efforts to eradicate child labour and replace it with Education, leading to empowerment. This film was commissioned by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
Discover Sikkim
This documentary was commissioned by the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation to promote the picturesque North-Eastern Indian state of Sikkim.
Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (London)
Anu Radha was responsible for coordination of CBA General Conference with the theme “Making a Difference in a Multi-Platform World” 2006 held at New Delhi. It was one of the key broadcasting events of the year and an important forum for chief and senior executives of broadcasting organisations in the Commonwealth. Anu Radha’s job involved coordination of the event which included lobbying & sponsorship in partnership with Prasar Bhartii, Govt. of India. Since the conference is also an opportunity to showcase the work of broadcasting organisations and exhibit broadcast technology, my responsibility lay in the technical coordination of production and lobbying with senior government leaders, for participation and smooth progress of work.
International media client – an event in India with participants traveling from across the globe; MoU with the National Indian broadcaster as partners and hosts – timeline of 2 months! Anu Radha was hired to network with the Indian partner (the Government) for processing and expediting work to meet deadlines. We strategized a plan of action by developing perfect relations (to be read as PR!) with each of the government personnel working on the project – making them “family”! Got the job done for our international client with all the approvals and maintaining the quality as required, keeping in mind the buy-in of the Indian Government partners – who were more than happy and willing!
Amidst all of the above Anu Radha was asked by an International media participant to arrange and manage a Press Conference, as their senior executive was to be at the location in 3 days! Anu Radha said, “Yes, it will be done” – the only answer we like to give to our precious clients!
The Hand Knotted Splendour
This documentary on the traditional craft of weaving carpets was commissioned by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.
Blending Borders
The 2nd Africa India Forum Summit, held in May 2011 in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, paved the way for a new and strengthened relationship between India and Africa. The summit was focussed on building a relationship based on the principles of mutual cooperation which would be beneficial to both countries. ‘Blending Borders’ highlights the key initiatives outlined in the summit along with the people-to-people connect that happened at a socio-cultural level.
 Connecting Hearts |
 Tapestries of Change |
 Expressions in Harmony |
Expressions in Harmony
India and Africa have a shared history and vibrant cultures. The 2nd Africa India Forum Summit held in May 2011 in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, celebrated the cultures of India and Africa through dance performances, film festivals and symposiums showcasing the traditions of both. ‘Expressions in Harmony’ displays the many cultural events that took place alongside the summit, creating everlasting bonds and ties between the people of both countries.
Tapestries of Change
Women are the backbone of every society and empowering them is essential. The 2nd Africa India Forum Summit held in May 2011 in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, opened a platform to enable knowledge exchange between women of Africa and India for a sustainable livelihood through handicrafts. ‘Tapestries of Change: An Indo-African Story of Empowerment’ takes the viewer on a journey through the trials and tribulations in the lives of the craftswomen as well as their achievements. Watch these women weave together a colorful tapestry of hope.
Connecting Hearts – India’s Pan Africa e-Network Story
The Pan Africa e-Network Project was conceived by former Indian President APJ Kalam and started in 2007. The initiative won the 2010 Hermes Proze for innovation. Though still in its infancy, it plans to provides tele-medicine and tele-education services to 53 countries in Africa for years to come.
Population Services International India
Population Services International (PSI) is an Indian non-profit and non-governmental organization established in 1988 with a mandate to assist the Government of India in the fields of reproductive health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and maternal and child health.
As a Communications Specialist for the Bill and Melinda Gates IAI (India AIDS Initiative) funded Avahan project, encompassing National Highways # 1-9 and the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, Anu Radha was involved in conceptualizing and coordinating for the creative and methodical Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) campaign and brand development as well as execution of production. The work involved liaising with the State AIDS Control Society, Government of India and networking with other media related and government agencies.
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