It is a little difficult to identify the real Konkona Sen Sharma. Is she the finicky Mrs Iyer, the disillusioned Madhvi Sharma of ‘Page 3,’ the expletive mouthing Indu of ‘Omkara,’ the confused Shruti of ‘Life In A…Metro,’ the actor who comes to terms with her struggle in ‘Luck By Chance,’ or one among the two dozen-odd other roles she has essayed till date?
“None, really! I am not even remotely close to any of these characters I have played. Some of them may have traces of me but I can’t say that this is me because I think none of us knows who we really are… Superficially I can tell you that I am neat, organised, and that I like to watch films, read and play games. Beyond that…?” says the two-time National Film Award winner (for ‘Mr and Mrs Iyer’ and ‘Omkara’).
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She has done art-house cinema and commercial movies and this year the rather unconventional beauty is all set for her first Karan Johar film with Ranbir Kapoor. Ayaan Mukherjee, ex-assistant director to Karan , directs the two in a coming-of-age film titled ‘Wake Up Sid.’ Does this signal a change in her choice or the opening up of filmmakers to casting Konkona in big-on-budget and light-hearted films?
“I relate to whatever is sensible. I am not for banal cinema. I have very different notions about what a good film is and what a glamorous film is. Glam doesn’t mean boring. I find banal boring,” says she. Besides that, Konkona is ready to shoot once again with her mother Aparna Sen for a Bengali film titled, ‘Iti Mrinalini’ that is reportedly semi-autobiographical. Aparna Sen will not only direct but also act in the film, which is based on the life of an actress. Konkona plays a younger Aparna in it.
“I am definitely looking forward to acting with mom. On the sets when she is the director I feel very comfortable. I know I can respect and trust her like none other.”
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Speaking of her mother, Konkona has managed to beautifully create her own space despite Aparna Sen’s own popularity. “Honestly, Aparna Sen was no Amitabh Bachchan that I had to come out of her shadow. She has a different kind of aura; she garners respect of a unique sort. I don’t think I have surpassed or even equalled that. But the common junta equates popularity with success. Both mom and I have never vied for popularity for that matter,” she reasons.
Konkona is equally excited about her movie ‘Mirch’ directed by Vinay Shukla. “It’s a set of four stories and a fifth connecting story about different women and their sexual desires. I think it is a fabulous cast with Raima Sen, Ila Arun, Shahana Goswami and Shreyas Talpade and I play two characters in two different segments. It’s historic and contemporary, and I am definitely very happy with the film,” she adds.
Konkona has recently concluded the Bengaluru shows of her play, ‘The Blue Mug’ and loves connecting with theatre. “I got back to theatre after a gap of four years and just loved the feeling. ‘The Blue Mug’ will be taken to other cities now. I am not sure if I will do the immediate shows but will definitely rejoin the cast after a year,” she says.