Anara Gupta relives trauma in Miss Anara movie

10 June, 2007:

Remember former Miss Jammu Anara Gupta who was falsely accused of being a part of a pornographic CD racket?

Anara Gupta was arrested in October 2004. Though Anara was later cleared by a court on the basis of a forensic test report which said the person who featured in the porn film was not Anara, she found it hard to forget the ordeal she had to undergo.

Three policemen were suspended later, and there was evidence of manipulation - a Hyderabad based forensic science lab said that the girl in the CD was not Anara Gupta, while Chandigarh based Central Forensic Science Laboratory said that it was her. In the end, the police admitted there was no prima facie evidence against Anara, and withdrew all cases against the former Miss Jammu.

And, “to get a reason to live,” Anara has starred in a film based on the infamous episode.

“I did not want to live after that horrific incident occurred in my life. But after I decided to work for the movie titled Miss Anara, I got a reason to live,” a visibly disturbed Anara Gupta, 21, told a new conference in New Delhi.

Miss Anara promises to take a hard look at the nightmare the former beauty-pageant winner underwent. Besides giving her a career as a film actor, the film has also changed Anara Gupta as a person. Says she: “Before this, I didn’t want to live; now I want to live and look forward to a new future.”

Working on the film based on her own traumatic past, Anara admits, was like reliving the nightmare. “It was very difficult. I would think of the real incident and start crying.”

Anara goes on to say about her debut film: “I faced the most difficult moments while shooting the third-degree torture scenes in prison. I used to faint every time we shot the scenes.”

“The film has become a mission of my life. Through it, I want to bring out the truth to the society.”

The film, says Anara, highlights the physical and emotional trauma she underwent and insists that it is not an effort to exploit the issue commercially.

She adds, “Till date I am famous because I was infamous, but after the release of the film, I will get positive fame, as the mindset of people will change when they see it.”

Anara made it clear that acting is just a hobby for her and not a career option. She said she is pursuing a law degree through correspondence in order to get to know the law of the country. “I started pursuing law because when I was pushed behind the bars I did not even know my rights. I became a puppet in their hands. It was then that I realised its importance. In fact I want every girl to know her rights.”

Miss Anara, produced by K K Yadav, features debuting actor Amit Rao opposite Anara. Miss Anara will be released on June 22, 2007.