Konkona Sen Sharma’s upcoming film, Monsoon Date, directed by Tanuja Chandra will see her playing a transsexual. Currently on a promotional tour for the film, the actress engages in a free-wheeling conversation about her journey so far and life in general.
Working with female directors
“My last three films have all been directed by lady directors — Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare by Alankrita Srivastava, Pind Daan with Seema Pawa and now, Monsoon Date with Tanuja Chandra,” says Konkona. Written by Gazal Dhaliwal, the story of the film revolves around a transgender person. “The story is intriguing and nice, and genuine too because she herself is a transgender,” informs the actress.
Describing the film, she adds, “It’s a love story set in the monsoon season. And while society has many pre-conceived notions about who has the right to fall in love, love is universal. Falling in love has no convenient time, it can happen anytime and anywhere. That’s what I liked in the script.”
Further, she says, “We are all human beings at the end of the day. And as human beings, we need to evolve.”
Konkona has nearly 50 films to her credit, across languages like Bengali, Hindi etc. However, she candidly admits, “Some of them are good while some are rubbish! But I am grateful for all my films.”
On her directorial debut
Konkona chose an offbeat subject for her directorial debut, and perhaps deliberately so. “I directed Death in the Gunj which released in 2017. It got very good reviews and a few awards but did not do well at the box-office. But I’m not bothered. I made the film that I wanted to make. It was not a film for everyone. It was a meaningful film, and made on a small budget. And a few people appreciated it,” she says.
As for working with her mother Aparna Sen, she adds, “I would love to cast her, I am actually greedy to work with her. I’m hoping to do a film with her next year, perhaps in Bengali.”
Being a single mom
After being raised single-handedly by her mom, Konkona finds herself in the same situation with son Haroon Shorey, whom she describes as being “not so little” anymore! “He is a dramebaaz and a romantic,” says the doting mom, who says she’s unsure of his plans later in life. “I don’t pretend to have control over things. I don’t even know if he would listen to me after he grows up!” she shares.
Konkona adds, “My mom single-handedly brought up two girls, although my father was also a large part of my life. But that became my template. I felt it to be normal.”
On relationships and marriage
While her own marriage with actor Ranvir Shorey ended in a divorce, the two reportedly share a cordial relationship. But Konkona admits, “Relationships are overrated. It would be nice to distribute work between partners. Also, your emotional reservoir does not have to be only your husband or wife. Eventually, it becomes very boring and repetitive.”
The actress adds, “It’s nice to have different people in your life, be it your mother, your husband or friend. But sometimes, relationships are meant to last only for some time. It’s better to live separately rather than not live happily together. Domesticity really kills romance! Being financially independent as well as having a house of your own is of utmost importance for a woman.”
Her feminist outlook is on full display as she adds, “We should stop changing our surnames after marriage. Just because we have always done it, we don’t have to accept it forever. If we are taking our husband’s name, we are taking it as our last name. Our maiden last name is becoming our middle name. Why go through the hassle of changing our names, passports... And who takes the middle name seriously? And what names are the children getting?”
