Konkona Sen Sharma, the Performance powerhouse accepted lipstick under My Burkha as she loved the script, says Mansi Bhansali
Right from the time that Konkona Sen Sharma burst into popular imagination as the missus in Mr and Mrs Iyer, she has been the one to watch out for courtesy her power-packed performances. The movie, where she held her own against actor Rahul Bose, who is no lightweight, is where she nailed the accent as a Tamil housewife to a T and displayed her chameleon-like ability to slip into any character.
Sen Sharma, who will soon be seen in lipstick Under My Burkha, along with an ensemble cast of Ratna Pathak Shah, Aahana Kumra, Plabita Borthakur and Sushant Singh, says there was a reason why she decided to take a film which talks about women. “Women don’t get an equal pay for the same work as done by men. Also, women’s stories are not told on screen realistically,” she told us.
She further added, “I believe that any good idea can change the world. Now all films are not meant to be thought provoking, but some of them surely are. Historically, regardless of class, religion and region, women are always treated as property. Today, for people like us, we are enjoying a lot of freedom but 100 years ago, it was not easy. But strong minded women before our generation fought the struggle, they protested and that enabled us to lead our lives the way we want to, today.
“There are films that can generate powerful ideas, which propels us to think differently. This film is one of such... that addresses women across religion and different age groups and their desire. And I think this is an important film for the society”.
Sen Sharma, whose mother is the renowned actor - director Aparna Sen, has been influenced by her. “My mom does inspire me but I didn’t want to be an actor anyway. I did some plays in schools and colleges. When I was younger, I used to act in the films of my mom, grandfather or Rituparna Ghosh, my uncle, in small roles. They used to tell me that I should act but I never liked people telling me what to do. I had seen the other side of glamour which is an essential part of this industry and I didn’t want to be a part of it. Growing up, I didn’t watch too many mainstream films so neither did I identify with them nor did I find it realistic,” said Sen Sharma.
The iconic role of a Tamil housewife, which won her a National Film Award for Best Actress forMr and Mrs Iyer, wasn’t an easy role to play for Sen Sharma. She explained, “I went to Chennai for a week or 10 days to do some research on my role. My mother told me to find about what Tamil women wear, what they eat, what names they have to differ between Shaivites and Vaishnavites and how they live. I learnt that they didn’t wear mangalsutra but the taali and they didn’t wear a ring but a naali. This really sucked me into that culture.”
There was a reason why she accepted lipstick Under My Burkha. Said she, “I really loved the script. I rarely came across such a story where you accept it at a glance. I liked the honest exposition of women’s character, their situations and their life which are hardly ever seen on screen. I immediately said yes.”
Her most commercially and critically applauded film was Wake Up Sid. She said, “It’s one of the most popular movies which I've done. A lot of people have responded to my character Aisha and even to the whole film. Many understood the role as a lot of people shift to Mumbai to achieve their dreams. I really identify with the character,” said she.
After marking a mark in acting, Sharma debuted as a director with A Death In The Gunj, which got mixed responses. Elaborated she, “It was never on the cards. The story was from my childhood. My grandparents lived in McCluskieganj, so we went there on a road trip. It’s nostalgia for me. My relatives told me stories on various issues which attracted me a lot and I came across similar ones while in Bollywood. This is how I got into direction.”
As an actor, Sen Sharma’s most difficult role was her debut Bengali film Ek Je Achhe Kanya. “I was not prepared for it. I don’t know how to react to the people or to the media, how to wear, how to stand and how to behave. This made the situation very uncomfortable for me,” said she.
She ignored the question on her forthcoming projects by saying, “I really don't know what I’m going to do on my next weekend. I don’t plan things, I just want to do good films.” But there is more to Sen Sharma than movies. “I usually watch films, read a book, meet my friends or I love to organise and clean my things,” said she.
Photo: MD Meharban