Anu Menon: I want to be hired for my skill rather than my ethnicity

Anu Menon

Desi audiences remember Anu Menon as the director of Vidya Balan's Shakuntala Devi (2020) and the hit Amazon Prime Video series, Four More Shots Please. But over the past week, there's only one way to describe her - the director of the fourth season of Killing Eve. Contrary to what many actors who straddle Bollywood and the West believe, Menon says the difference in terms of work culture is merely a myth. "I think content is made in a similar fashion the world over. It starts with having a vision, getting the best bunch of people and going all out. Killing Eve is an American-British set-up. Initially, I did think ‘What if I forget everything I knew? What if I make a fool of myself?' But I felt comfortable in my skin thereafter," starts Menon, who is currently in London.

The Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer-starrer is one of the biggest network shows of recent times. Bringing a female gaze was imperative when telling the story of two women protagonists. While the series previously had writers like Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Emerald Fennell, the latest season has been helmed by an all-female trio - Emily Atef, Stella Corradi and Menon. From its cast to the talent behind the scenes, it's evident that the series believes in championing diversity. "I went to the London Film School. I live in London. But I never got to make anything here. I don't wish to be an exotic Indian in a western film. Neither do I want to make a story about God and honour killing. There is a perception that an Indian should say of a certain kind of story in today's market. I passed a lot of those things. I want to be hired for my skill rather than my ethnicity." Killing Eve ticked the box on that count. The makers were looking for a strong-minded woman director. "I made my presentation; they liked it and gave me the job. It matters to me that it was a meritorious process. I didn't get it because I am a woman, nor because I am South Asian. I interviewed and got the job."

A still from Killing Eve

She started her innings in Bollywood with London, Paris, New York (2012), but it was with Waiting (2015) that she felt a shift in the kind of stories she wanted to tell and the way she was perceived. "After Waiting, my agent got me into a lot of those all white studio/ network rooms which were not accessible for people of colour easily. I always knew what I was doing but once I got a job and I did it well, things opened up. Someone had to take a chance with me." By the time the British spy thriller came her way, Menon was adept at telling women's stories, complete with the many moods that come with it. But before taking on the project, it was important to understand what lay at the heart of the show that revolves around a British intelligence agent and an assassin. "It's not as much about the plot as it is about the feeling. It's dangerous, sexy, and pushes boundaries. In the culmination, all characters realise something profound about themselves. Here are these women who can't be together, yet can't be without each other. I held on to that. When you come to a show that's so successful, you have to adapt to its rhythm and grammar. Even though Phoebe created the show, each of us who have come on board thereafter has the liberty to make it their own. Each of our life experiences is distinct, and our journeys reflect in the show."

When you're talking Killing Eve, you have to talk about Oh. The former Grey's Anatomy star is a hot favourite with women across the globe for her no-nonsense personality. "She is passionate, invested and gives it her all. It reminded me of when I was working with Vidya Balan. Much like Vidya, Sandra would spend hours talking about the character. We perched on the sofa and had a long brainstorming session. Like me, she has 2000 ideas a minute, and all of it works towards culminating into better."

Menon is set to kick off her next soon with Balan. Rumours are rife that the film will also star Neetu Kapoor. "It has been 10 years since London, Paris, New York. I want to tell everyone who said yeh nahin kar sakti, that in a decade, the world has caught up with women's stories. The patriarchal imbalance exists, but we will address it and shift it with time."