I'm hungry for realistic cinema: Konkona Sen Sharma
Vickey Lalwani comes face to face with this promising actress

Who can forget Konkona Sen Sharma in 'Mr & Mrs Iyer' which has won her the national award for the best actress? A chip of the old block, Aparna Sen's daughter wowed the audience right from the beginning. Now, Bollywood has come calling with Madhur Bhandarkar's forthcoming 'Page 3'. Konkona Sen Sharma's journey began with Subrata Sen's Ek Je Aache Kanya, then came Titli where she was cast by family friend Rituparno Ghosh. Then came Aparna Sen's haunting treatise on communal fissures, Mr & Mrs Iyer. Since then, she has never looked back.

Vickey: Did you always want to enter Bollywood?

Konkona: Not at all. In fact, I didn't see myself finding a place in Bollywood. In the first place, I was not ambitious about becoming an actress. Bollywood was a distant possibility.

Vickey: Why didn't you see yourself finding a place in Bollywood?

Konkona: The kind of films  which are made in Bollywood, the way the heroine is projected simply as a glam doll- really puts me off. It is terribly frustrating to see that the packaging of the film is more important than the characterisation of actors in Hindi films. I am not interested in working in films  which focus on costumes, jewellery and sets. I am hungry for realistic cinema.

Vickey: You tend to give an impression that the heroine in Bollywood has come to a sorry pass...

Konkona: (Interrupts). Not really. There 'are' films even today  which have the heroine to undergo a gamut of emotions and be an integral part of the script, but yes, there are 'very' few such films. So....

Vickey: So?

Konkona: Frankly, I wouldn't be able to trace the journey of the heroine in Bollywood. I have hardly seen the films of yesteryears. My mom always told me to see all kinds of movies. Yet, I have missed out on quite a few Hindi movies.

Vickey: Your mom even prevented you from seeing 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharat' on television....

Konkona: (Interrupts) How did you know? (eyes widen in amazement). You are right. She did. She always thought that television was a little away from the real. She wanted me to read books if I was keen to know about Ramayana and Mahabharata. She was very particular about what I saw and read.

Vickey: Was it difficult to play a mother in 'Mr & Mrs Iyer'?

Konkona: It was not easy. Ma made me go to Chennai for two weeks for research. I discovered a lot of interesting details about Iyers and Iyengars - how they spoke, how they walked... I improvised a bit on the accent, and the funniest part was that we used to converse at home in the manner I was supposed to act in the film. The most difficult part of being Mrs Iyer was the baggage (laughs). I had to manage a sari, shawl, bag, high heels and a baby. And the baby would constantly pull my earrings and smear my bindi.

Vickey: What was the response from the film industry from the South after 'Mr & Mrs Iyer'?

Konkona: Tremendous. I was flooded with film offers. But I haven't taken up any film from the South so far. The language is a problem. I believe that I must understand the language while I am acting. I am not great at Hindi, but at least I understand it.

Vickey: How did 'Page 3' happen?

Konkona: Actually, Madhur Bhandarkar had called to compliment me on my performance in 'Mr & Mrs Iyer'. He even spoke to my mother and expressed a desire of working with me in future. I was thrilled to bits as I loved 'Chandni Bar'. After that, we started talking on the phone, once in a while. During one of those calls, he bounced off 'Page 3' to me. We met and I heard the script. I liked it.

Vickey: What's your role in 'Page 3'?

Konkona: It features on the hollow lives of socialities. I play a journalist from Mumbai who meets these socialities and interacts with them. It's quite exciting. Did you know that when I was a kid, I wanted to be a journalist? Anyway, we'll be shooting a part of it in January and the rest in March.

Vickey: Were you aware that Kareena Kapoor was supposed to do this role earlier? In fact, she was Madhur Bhandarkar's first choice. But she demanded an exorbitant fee...

Konkona: (Interrupts) That's fascinating, but does it really matter? I am doing it and I shall give it my best shot.

Vickey: What happened to the Bengali based television show Nari you were doing?

Konkona: (Smiles) I stopped doing 'Nari'. Because of acting assignments, I need to travel a lot and have to stay in Mumbai quite often.

Vickey: Can I peep into your kitty?

Konkona: Sure. Besides 'Page 3', I have Manu Rewal's 'Imandaar', Siddharth Srinivasan's horror flick 'Raat Akeli Hai' with Tara Sharma and Booman Irani, and debutante Sonali Bose's Ammu wherein I play an NRI. Am travelling to US shortly to pick up the American accent for the role.

Vickey: You are hiding one film from me...

Konkona: (Laughs) So, you know about it. Okay, I am doing my mom's next film 'Gulel' (costarring Ajay Devgan, Sushmita Sen and Saif Ali Khan). I play Ajay Devgan's wife. Gulel is the story of an assassin and a victim, how they go on to become friends. It's a very warm film.

Vickey: Will you go to producers for roles?

Konkona: How silly! I find such things very embarrassing to do. But yes, if I incidentally meet a filmmaker whom I respect and admire, I wouldn't mind telling him that I would like to work with him. Now please don't ask me whom I admire, because I'll end up missing out some names by mistake and those filmmakers would get hurt (smiles).

Vickey: Do you feel burdened by your mother's awesome reputation?

Konkona: I am Aparna Sen's daughter. So, comparisons are inevitable. But hey, tell me, aren't the comparisons unfair too? (laughs).

Vickey: Are you ready for the trivia linking you up with heroes?

Konkona: (Blinks) Oh, I have already been linked with my co-star in Mr & Mrs Iyer- Rahul Bose. Not so long ago, I used to love reading gossip about who's going around with whom. But when I read something on myself for the first time, I realised how tough it is for actors and actresses in this profession. Film magazines should stop featuring imaginative liaisons, just to sell a few extra copies.

Vickey: Are you ready for body-exposure, smooching and intimate scenes which have become common parlance in Bollywood?

Konkona: Depends on the requirement and treatment. If genuinely needed in the script and done in a classy way, I might consider. But frankly, I would not be comfortable doing such stuff.