  In this paper, the spacetime geometry of Finch and Skea [Class. Quantum
Grav., 6 (1989) 467] has been utilized to obtain closed-form solutions for a
spherically symmetric anisotropic matter distribution. By examining its
physical admissibility, it has been shown that the class of solutions can be
used as viable models for observed pulsars. In particular, a specific class of
solutions can be used as an `anisotropic switch' to examine the impact of
anisotropy on the gross physical properties of a stellar configuration.
Accordingly, the mass-radius relationship has been analyzed.
