The Pillar Of Strength

Before I continue with the narration of my journey and involvement in the making of Maiya, it would be sheer injustice on my part if I do not put on record the contribution made by Anil Kumar. All said and done, Maiya happened because of him. It is indeed the saga of his grit, commitment and determination. The centrepiece of his vision and creative ability for the period of our involvement with the project. It was a story that he brought to the table and right from its inception until we could bring about all efforts to see it through, he stood like a rock with unflinching resolve through the entire process. There was never a time that he looked back or had doubts about the completion of the project. Film making had always been his seen purpose in life, he breathes cinema. Added to this, was the reason that this project did have a special value to add on to what had always been his effort to express to his audience. It was also a crucial step that he had to take before he ventured into making a film of international class.

Though we had known each other for a very short period of time, or rather, we came into each other’s acquaintance only because of this project, our relationship had soon grown into a lasting friendship. There were prime attributes in the both of us which were common to the way we thought and functioned. To put it in simple words, the friendship itself was a blessing from an unknown source and dimension. I have always believed that friendship is the most difficult relationship to be engaged in and have always taken it very seriously. Therefore, though my mentor who had made it his endeavour to guide me towards my higher purpose in life had relinquished his physical presence and his memories were a major source of my strength and purpose to move on, it was only half the reason for my decision. The other half that contributed to my strength was my connection to Anil and his resolve and commitment which I could not let myself abandon.

With him at the helm, I really did not have much to worry about as far as the technical or creative aspects of the film was concerned as he was living it, it was his dream project. He was always there to steer our efforts in the right direction and I only had to follow his lead. That was great reassurance for me, since, the project as such, was something that I hooked onto only because of the involvement of Dr Alex and his loss, as mentioned earlier, could have been my excuse to leave the journey, but for the reasons that compelled me to endure. We, therefore, picked up at where we had paused and continued our efforts with an extra resolve than before. True to my convictions, Anil stood like a rock through all the storms we faced in our adventurous journey and grew to be my greatest source of support and inspiration.