Mikhail Anand; (right) Mukul Anand

The flipside of nepotism, if one were to argue, is that star kids have the onus of taking ahead their family legacy. So, charting one’s own path becomes all the more important. That’s the note on which we kick off our chat with Mikhail Anand, son of the late Mukul S Anand, director of films like Agneepath (1990) and Khuda Gawah (1992). Mikhail is set to make his directorial debut with the short film, The Dinner Invite, starring Divya Dutta, Natasha Bharadwaj and Parzaan Dastur.

Asked about the learnings from his father that he has used in the film, Mikhail says, “He was relentless in pursuit of his vision; he pushed himself to extreme lengths to achieve it. I want to approach every moment on the set with the same passion and conviction.” The crime comedy was shot in Alibaug on November 18 and 19. 

Mukul was all of 45 when he died of a heart attack in 1997. He was in Utah shooting the action film, Dus, which was to feature Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt. The film remained incomplete after his demise. Does he feel the pressure of carrying forward his filmmaker father’s legacy? Mikhail says, “I feel a little pressure following in the footsteps of someone whose stories are so loved and well-remembered, but I view the legacy as a blessing. That’s what I plan to focus on, as I try to create my own legacy.”