10 Sunday, March 11, 2018 An ‘anusual’, inspiring story MEHRE ALAM (love for the nation),” she quips on being DOHA asked why more Bollywood actors are not taking a plunge into politics. ONTROVERSIES and misun- Coming back to Anu’s life story, it has derstandings go hand in hand. been nothing short of dramatic. There Actors get blamed for things have been more twists and turns in her they may have little to do with, real life than she saw in reel life. The girl- says Anu Aggarwal, the model- next-door who had an entire generation actress-turned-monk,C while commenting swooning on her following her dazzling on the recent Padmavat controversy that debut in Aashiqui (1990), today lives the had bogged down Bollywood for a while. life of a philanthropist, sanyasini-yogi, “In this case, Deepika [Padukone] holistic healer, Buddhist monk. She is was targeted and not the script writer also a bestselling author, a TEDx speaker who wrote the story,” she says. and a diver. “Freedom to express oneself and Which one of these is the real Anu, viewpoints openly, without a prejudice, we ask. comes from an open mind. But let’s not “Each one, and all of these com- undermine the fact that an open mind- bined,” replies Anu. set, allowing free thinking of the indi- As the interview proceeds, Anu is vidual, is required for this to begin with,” told of how a professor, in his 50s now, she noted, in an exclusive interview conveyed to this writer upon learning he with Qatar Tribune. was going to interview her, “Please Talking about southern tell her I do not start my day without superstars Kamal Hassan and watching her Aashiqui song!” Rajnikaanth’s recent foray To this, Anu says, “My life has into politics, Anu said this taken such an unprecedented turn has been a trend since Jay- that it’s easy to forget a large fan alalitha, but it remains to be base still exists.” seen how well Kamal and Ra- “However, let me admit, it’s jni fare in the long term as always a welcome re- ‘heroes-turned-politicians’. minder of the lives “Down in South India, I have influenced the fan behaviour is in- positively. It clined to reverence what does come as a with the stars being surprise that worshipped and tem- people’s ad- The cover of Anu Aggarwal’s book, Anusual: Memoir of a Girl Who Came Back from the Dead. ples being named after miration has them where people stayed on bathe them in milk despite my each morning,” said monkhood In a freewheeling interview with Qatar Tribune, yester- Anu, who also has and spir- acted in a southern ituality. year glamour girl-turned-monk Anu Aggarwal, who set Indian film,Tiruda In spite of Tiruda, directed by my unex- the screens on fire with her sizzling debut in Mahesh ace director Mani plained Ratnam, with music disappear- Bhatt’s Aashiqui way back in the 90s, discusses the by AR Rahman. ance while glorious uncertainties of life, as well as some current “Perhaps, Bolly- still on top as wood needs to have a an actor (for a issues concerning Bollywood little more desh bhakti spiritual exile), People Sunday, March 11, 2018 11

I have been pardoned.” Anu is the survivor of a horrific car crash, one that changed her life forever and put the brakes on the roller-coaster ride that her life was until then. But it also kicked off, what she terms, ‘Life2’, which ultimately led her to establishing the Anu Aggarwal Foundation (AAF), which works for children living in the slums, besides other social work. “I am living out my core values now. There is a sense of completion and fulfil- ment. This is unmatched what with so many people coming forward to support the foundation,” she noted. “My confessional memoir, Anusual: Memoir of a Girl Who Came Back from the Dead, describes all of this – a girl who defies the defined social, moralistic codes, and then defies death. It’s about resurrection, metamorphosis, a new Anu.” Anu Aggarwal has established herself as a well-known TEDx speaker. Anu in one of her photos from Bollywood days. While she has been completely en- grossed in social work for several years, gramme for Afghan refugees with she inadvertently hogged Bollywood UNHCR for one. So I entered stardom headlines when Aashiqui 2 released in with an agenda I had learned before I April 25, 2013, with the then newcomer became a model. Owing to this I en- Shraddha Kapoor essaying Anu’s role. dorsed a condom when a star, to curb Anu’s take: “Let me clarify what the population explosion in India, while Mahesh Bhatt (the director of the origi- also saving oneself from HIV/AIDS. nal Aashiqui) said when Aashiqui 2 was There were negative reactions to this. about to release. ‘Anu, Aashiqui 2 has But it was not my star status I was pro- nothing to do with your Aashiqui.’ tecting. It was an inner urge to create “But I kept wondering why use the awareness in my country and beyond name then? However, it became clear that mattered.” once I saw the film. They are both love Finally, the topic of censorship pops stories.” up: Are the various crafts of art more How much has Bollywood changed prone to censorship today compared to since her hey day? yesteryear? “Well, Aashiqui revolutionised Bol- “Yes,” she replied. lywood in 1990. It’s a bit ironic it was “And you know why? Many more made by Mahesh Bhatt, who’s not geared people have a point of view today. Social to please the structured box-office sensi- media has made a huge change. Also, the bilities of a commercial movie. people of India are finding their voice “The film got mixed reviews initially, and they are more vocal on issues than but went on to become a sensational ever before. blockbuster, breaking all commercial “On the other hand, let’s not under- records in Bollywood. It was a time when mine the fact that stars get a way, an a typical lead actress, the heroine, used Anu’s memoir, Anusual..., traces her journey from a movie star to a monk and social worker. opportunity, to express themselves too. to be a rich father’s spoilt daughter, with For instance, there were umpteen times hardly any brains to harness the dream I played a psycho killer in Khalnaika becoming a yoga guru, a monk, etc, while in the 90s when I was misquoted or of an independent life, which was exactly (1993), a take on The Hand That Rocks Rahul stayed on in the glamorous world misunderstood by the media, in inter- the role I essayed in Aashiqui. The Cradle, eyebrows were raised and of films. views. But there was no Twitter handle “The movie’s soothing, romantic mu- I was labelled a ‘bold’ actress. But the “I was pleasantly surprised to have where I could shout out that I was mis- sic, which was something new then, went film was received well, more so in the Rahul appear at the launch of my book represented. People got to read only on to kick-start a romantic genre that international market. An award nomina- Anusual…, where along with Mahesh what the media had to say and I, the star, continues to be popular until this day. tion also came my way in the third year Bhatt and Deepak Tijori, he too showed had to settle with that, and the backlash “At the time I signed this movie, I was of my short-lived Bollywood career. I up.” that it created in the public, or the way an international fashion model living was setting a trend then. It was truly an Does she believe stars have a some- it affected my boyfriend or family,” she in Paris. I brought in a kind of fashion exception. what special social responsibility towards pointed out. that was new to the Bollywood movie “Today, when Ranvir plays a negative the society? “So there are always two sides to the industry then [in the late 80s early 90s]. character in Padmaavat, he is still con- “I think anybody who enjoys the coin and with social media both sides can I even had Bhanu Athaiya (one of my sidered a sexy hero and the audience is advantage of public appreciation, owes it be viewed. The censor board is known fashion dress designers for an advertise- ready to accept that. So the audience has to themselves to serve the causes of the to shift with the changes in the social ment, who had won an Oscar for Richard been through an evolutionary change as collective consciousness. Stars certainly milieu. So the magnifying lens of the cen- Attenborough’s Gandhi) design my girl- well,” she explained. have a huge responsibility to their fans, sor board keeps changing with time too,” next-door look in Aashiqui. It worked The topic then veers to Rahul Roy, to the public, to the man on the road. she said. wonders. Anu’s co-star in Aashiqui, who is often It is due to them a star becomes a star. “Change is the only reality and Bol- seen on TV channels now debating key Without the fans the concept of stardom (Anu Agarwal’s social work can be lywood, like all else, and thankfully so, issues of the day. Is she in touch with does not exist. Stars have a huge social viewed at www.anuaggarwalfoun- is also evolving. There is a clear change him? responsibility to the people who make dation.org. She can be reached at: in the plot, the story…the kinds of “There is little similarity to how our them stars,” she answered. https://www.facebook.com/ movies being made today. lives proceeded after Aashqui. My life “I was always aware of this, maybe anuaggro/, https://twitter.com/ “Technology has played an important took the utmost extraordinary turn and the awareness had been created when anusualauthor, https://www. role in this as well. For instance when I turned to spirituality and ended up I was a social worker making a pro- instagram.com/anusualanu/)