Born and raised in Calcutta, India, Nanda Anand moved to New York City as a teenager. She attended Columbia University where she pursued a Masters in Psychology. An accomplished Indian classical dancer and freelance writer, Anand's passion for the arts led her to study film at New York University's School of Continuing Education. Return to Rajapur marks Nanda's feature debut as producer, screenwriter, and director. She currently resides in New York City with her husband.

The planets had aligned in my favor! Finally, the permit to shoot a film in India had arrived from New Delhi. Thus began the journey of Return to Rajapur. Having spent the growing years of my life in India, I drew the inspiration for my screenplay from that very culture: a culture infused with notions of destiny and karma; a culture that looks at life as a cycle of births and deaths, with souls destined to meet again and again over many lifetimes. When I started writing the screenplay, I decided to situate it in one of the most beautiful locations in India: Rajasthan. I could never forget the windswept dunes and the centuries-old sandstone structures that dotted the spectacular landscape of the region. Encouraged by the fact that I could draw upon the low-budget film equipment of the Bollywood film industry, I forged ahead with the plans. I had decided to hire my crew from both the New York indie community and also the Bollywood industry. The cast was also a mingling of talent from the U.S. and from India. In fact, my crew and cast were representations of the mingling of East and West that lay at the heart of my story. Behind the decadent palace walls and beyond the crumbling age-old cenotaphs, at the root of my story are the subtle nuances of emotions and relationships. My director of photography Harlan Bosmajian and I spent hours creating shot lists that could make use of the spectacular locations and yet bring into focus the driving energies of the lives of the characters. Since the story dealt with two different time periods, we decided to shoot the second half of the story with a handheld camera. Much to my surprise and joy, the crew and cast slipped into their roles very easily. The Americans were learning to wear saris and eat with their fingers, while the Indians were munching on granola bars and learning American film terminology. The American crew was very impressed by the technical know-how of the Bollywood crew, while the Bollywood veterans were absolutely fascinated by the precision with which the American crew tackled its tasks. In the desert, in Rajasthan, temperatures tend to run in the extremes. We shot the first two weeks in single-degree centigrade weather, and the next three weeks in sweltering heat. The cast and crew were housed in palaces. I felt that the living arrangements were in keeping with the mood and tone of my story. The lead actors from America established a great rapport with the Indian lead actor as well as the other Indian cast members, who were all essential in establishing the setting of the story. The costume designers from both countries worked hand-in-hand, trading silks and denim as required. Production designer Agnes Goveas, who started her career as an art designer's assistant on David Lean's Passage to India, was a director's dream come true. Within hours, she was able to transform any and every location to meet my specific vision. It was amazing to see the props that were created in the workshop that she had set up in the backyard of one of the palaces. This is a true Bollywood tradition: Props are almost always created on location. When we wrapped the movie and got ready to leave India, it was with heavy hearts but a raised spiritual consciousness. Postproduction was housed in New York. As marvelous and fascinating as Rajasthan had been, it was still great to be back home in the Big Apple. With the Avid installed in editor Madeleine Gavin's apartment, I started to relive the entire experience. I realized that I had ascended to the rank of filmmaker. The road to the arrival had been fraught with the usual challenges of filmmaking, but nevertheless it had been most gratifying.