to the ongoing Pune International Film Festival (which runs till January 19) Aparna Sen stopped by in Mumbai. The Kolkata-based veteran actress-filmmaker is chairperson of the jury.
She was looking forward to soaking in some world cinema and enjoying Pune’s cool climes. “A shawl and a pair of socks should do fine, right?” she asks when we meet her at a coffee house in Juhu. “Mumbai and Kolkata are not exactly cold,” she intones.
Whenever possible, Sen visits Mumbai to catch up on what’s latest in her five-year-old grandson Haroon’s (daughter Konkona’s tot) life. “He has picked up Bengali, Hindi, English and Punjabi. But he prefers to talk to me in English. He refers to me as mummum – that’s what Konkana calls me,” she says endearingly.
Known for films like 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981), Paroma (1984), Mr and Mrs Iyer (2001) and The Japanese Wife (2010), Sen is currently in the midst of post-production of her next English film, Sonata, which stars Shabana Azmi, Lillete Dubey and herself. Adapted from Marathi litterateur Mahesh Elkunchwar’s play of the same name, the film revolves around three unmarried women facing a mid-life crisis.
Sen plays a professor, Azmi’s a banker and Dubey essays the role of a scribe.
Ask Sen about dealing with two powerhouse actresses (Shabana and Lillete) and she laughs, “You mean were there catfights and ego tussles? Did they give me a tough time during the shoot? Not at all, we are far from that. We completed the film in 20 days in Kolkata. We were all so into the character that there was no time to do anything else.”
Sen’s association with Azmi goes back decades. “She calls me Rina. That’s my pet name; only those close to me refer to me by that name. This explains my rapport with Shabana. And I call her Munni; that’s what her folks have called her at home since childhood. She tells me when she shoots with me; it’s difficult for her to shoot with someone else. Shooting with Shabana is pure joy. We discuss, dissect and she just dives into the role.”
Ironically in the film, Azmi plays a Bengali character while Sen plays a woman from Uttar Pradesh. “That’s the novelty as we stepped outside our zones. It would be given that I play a Bengali and she from UP, but our role reversal has just added to the film.”
She was looking forward to soaking in some world cinema and enjoying Pune’s cool climes. “A shawl and a pair of socks should do fine, right?” she asks when we meet her at a coffee house in Juhu. “Mumbai and Kolkata are not exactly cold,” she intones.
Whenever possible, Sen visits Mumbai to catch up on what’s latest in her five-year-old grandson Haroon’s (daughter Konkona’s tot) life. “He has picked up Bengali, Hindi, English and Punjabi. But he prefers to talk to me in English. He refers to me as mummum – that’s what Konkana calls me,” she says endearingly.
Known for films like 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981), Paroma (1984), Mr and Mrs Iyer (2001) and The Japanese Wife (2010), Sen is currently in the midst of post-production of her next English film, Sonata, which stars Shabana Azmi, Lillete Dubey and herself. Adapted from Marathi litterateur Mahesh Elkunchwar’s play of the same name, the film revolves around three unmarried women facing a mid-life crisis.
Sen plays a professor, Azmi’s a banker and Dubey essays the role of a scribe.
Ask Sen about dealing with two powerhouse actresses (Shabana and Lillete) and she laughs, “You mean were there catfights and ego tussles? Did they give me a tough time during the shoot? Not at all, we are far from that. We completed the film in 20 days in Kolkata. We were all so into the character that there was no time to do anything else.”
Sen’s association with Azmi goes back decades. “She calls me Rina. That’s my pet name; only those close to me refer to me by that name. This explains my rapport with Shabana. And I call her Munni; that’s what her folks have called her at home since childhood. She tells me when she shoots with me; it’s difficult for her to shoot with someone else. Shooting with Shabana is pure joy. We discuss, dissect and she just dives into the role.”
Ironically in the film, Azmi plays a Bengali character while Sen plays a woman from Uttar Pradesh. “That’s the novelty as we stepped outside our zones. It would be given that I play a Bengali and she from UP, but our role reversal has just added to the film.”
