Voice of a bygone era

Enterprising visual artiste and award-winning filmmaker, Sharmila Anand can’t really remember a time when she wasn't zealously passionate about making a difference.

Her penchant for exploration and going the extra mile is taking her places – her recent documentary, titled Active Voices, was bestowed with the Best Concept in Documentary Award at the 5th Delhi International Film Festival, 2016 and 2nd Rajasthan International Film Festival. In a candid chat, she tells us more...

"During one of my candid chats  with my 93-year-old grandmother, it suddenly occurred to me that people of that age group would have seen so much of life so closely. That actually inspired me to document a certain part of lives of these people, as they shared it to me," enthuses the artiste, who holds a degree in Visual Arts from Ravindra Kala Niketan, Tumkur.

The short film, which is a collection of recollections, showcases people above the age of 85 years talking about their lives was well received by the audiences. Elated about the responses, Sharmila adds, "I'm humbled by how people have been receptive towards the intent of the documentary. To me, only that matters.”

While arts was always what Sharmila wanted to pursue, exploring different aspects of it has been the  focus – which often spills into her free time. "I am mainly a visual artist who loves to paint. Even when unwinding, I am constantly looking for more work in any of the areas I love doing, be it poetry, painting or documentaries.  Fortunately both my  solo and group art stints, have been quite successful. Also, writing poetry has led to two volumes of Rhyme cds," shares the 40 year old.

One of her paintings have been exhibited through a power point presentation at Bharath Bhavan, Bhopal, as a part of the National exhibition of Contemporary Art-2015, organised by South Central Zone Cultural Centre. Her mail arts have also been exhibited at galleries in Brazil, Canada, USA and Indonesia.

Speaking about what's on the cards,"As of now, looking forward to taking Active Voices to maximum audiences. I believe there are interesting ways to bring about a powerful message. You don't need to preach anymore, churn out an idea and let it connect. That's the vision and the plan."