From Annie's food laboratory

Speaking from the other end of the phone, she sounded like just another Palakkari with her cheerful dialect, loud voice, frankness and sweet chiding. Annie Shaji Kailas says she has always been “outspoken”. 

“I always speak my mind, whether people like it or not,” says the mini-screen darling, who hosts a culinary show Annie’s Kitchen, which is running into its second year. 

The show, along with recognition, also brought her trouble. A couple of days ago, her husband – ace director Shaji Kailas – had put up a post on Facebook saying they were getting a lot of calls about a new restaurant in the capital bearing the name of Annie’s show and it was not theirs.

“I don’t even want to think about it,” says Annie, adding, “We were flooded with calls. I don’t want to take credit for the fruits of another person's labour. It’s just not fair. That’s why we put up a clarification. The restaurateur too cleared the air by claiming it was named after his daughter and was in no way related to me.” 

Annie had chosen to stay away from limelight during the heights of her stardom following her marriage to Shaji Kailas. Only recently did the couple celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary. How time flies! Yet it seems she was always here, like Sruthi, the naughty tomboy in Mazhayethum Mumbe. “It’s all because people love me like a member of  their family. People think of me as their own kochu and remember me in their prayers. Isn’t that great?” she asks.

So, how does she prepare for the show? “It’s all an experiment. My home is my laboratory. And looking at my family, you might get an idea about how successful the experiments are,” she laughs, adding, “Now, I have to force them all to join the gym.”

The kids – Jagannathan, Sharon and Roshan – are all great fans of their mom’s dishes, but Annie says as parents, they have taken extra care not to spoil the kids. “Yes, we do pamper them with food, but not with money and expensive stuff. They are growing up learning the value of their dad’s sweat. We are training them to live independently without specific demands or rich facilities. We are bringing them up them like how our parents brought us up,” she says.

The couple’s son Jagan is stepping into film-making with short films. “I am glad. I am very particular about him following his passion with dedication and clarity, but only after completing his studies. Cinema is a highly competitive field, where you may or may not succeed. So you should always have another career option. Shajiyettan is very supportive of his dreams, but first, he needs to complete his studies. He has the best university to learn filmmaking – his dad. He can start off by assisting him, but not with the advantage of being Shaji Kailas’ son. I hope he faces all the struggles to become a successful film maker, without his dad’s backing,” she says. 

Annie, the starlet, ruled the film industry for three years with 15 movies and people haven’t got enough of her. But she says she will never be back. “I am happy to be known as Mrs. Shaji Kailas. My happiness lies in the well-being of my family and nothing else. This is my world and I am happy as the queen of my home,” she adds.   

About the casting couch allegations in the industry, the former actress states, “During my days, there were no such issues. What happens now in the industry is beyond my purview. My husband never brings movies home and I have no close friends in the industry. My best friend is my husband.”

Annie can also never be found on Facebook. “The only book I know is our budget book at home. I am not in the least interested in other people’s business. I just live my life happily with my family,” she concludes.