The Hindu : New Delhi News : She is an actor keen to adorn her craft with versatile roles

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 17, 2007
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New Delhi

She is an actor keen to adorn her craft with versatile roles

Madhur Tankha

— Photo: R. V. Moorthy

Multifaceted: Actress Konkona Sen Sharma during an interaction in New Delhi.

New Delhi: Young Bengali actor Konkona Sen Sharma has gained applause for her performance in a variety of meaningful roles in the Hindi film industry. She does not like being labelled as a Bollywood actor. Instead National Award winner Konkona Sen Sharma wants to be known as an artiste working in the Indian film industry.

Cotton

On a visit to the Capital to promote cotton fabrics, Konkona said: “My journey in the Indian film industry has so far been wonderful. I use the word Indian as I don’t like being referred to as a Bollywood actor.”

Konkona made her debut as a child artist in ‘Indira’ and as an adult in Bengali film ‘Ek Je Aachhe Kanya’. But it was the English movie ‘Mr. and Mrs. Iyer’ that propelled her into the limelight. Directed by her filmmaker mother Aparna Sen, the film saw Konkona playing a Tamil housewife.

Talent

Stating that filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar’s Hindi film ‘Page 3’ gave her a good platform to showcase her talent, Konkona says she was happy to be a part of the movie. Since ‘Page 3’, the actor has starred in a number of films, most of which have either received rave reviews or been commercially successful at the box-office.

Konkona feels as an artiste she should do every type of role. In Vishal Bharadwaj’s ‘Omkara’, that was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s play Othello, she excelled in her role as Saif Ali Khan’s wife and bagged the Filmfare award for the best supporting actress. “Before doing ‘Omkara’ I had watched Vishal’s earlier film ‘Maqbool’ and liked it very much. In ‘Omkara’ the language was a bit crude, but that was not a deterrent to me. At the end of the day, it is important to play the character convincingly.”

Konkona’s latest release ‘Life in a Metro’ not only got excellent reviews in the media but also did good business at the box-office. Her performance of a confused girl looking for a prospective groom through a matrimonial online was well appreciated. But more than her role, it was her on-screen chemistry with Irrfan Khan that was lapped up by the cine goers.

Chemistry

“I have acted with Irrfan in ‘Meredien’ and ‘Deadline’. I enjoy working with Irrfan as he is very good at his craft. I loved his performances in ‘Maqbool’ and ‘Haasil’. Good actors have to create chemistry on the screen. It is not necessary that we have to be friends but if we are mutually respectful then it becomes quite easy to act,” she says.

Although Konkona is acting in quite a few Hindi films, she admits her Hindi is not perfect. “I converse in either English or Bengali. I make mistakes in gender while speaking Hindi. But I have no problem in acting in Hindi movies.”

Stating that her upcoming Yash Raj Film ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag’ is about the relationship between two siblings, Konkona says Rani Mukherji is playing her elder sister. “I am playing the character of Chutki who is lively, vivacious and a strong minded person.

Traditional

The first half of the film was shot in Banaras and I had to wear traditional dresses designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. In the second half I wear glamorous clothes designed by Manish Malhotra.”

Konkona holds superstar Madhuri Dixit in high esteem. And she got a chance to act alongside the dancing queen in Yash Raj Films’ upcoming ‘Aaja Nachle’.

“It is Madhuri’s comeback film. Initially I was very nervous but she was extremely supportive. Madhuri is a gorgeous yet down to earth person,” says the actor.

About Rituparno Ghosh’s upcoming ‘Sunglass’ that will be released in both Hindi and Bengali, Konkona says it is a whimsical film in which her character wears a goggle that enables her to read what people are thinking. “So the film shows her growing up. The film has Madhavan, Jaya Bachchan and Naseeruddin Shah.”

Konkona believes in doing realistic cinema. Little wonder, her clothes also reflect her choice. “I like wearing pure cotton clothes as they are classy and gel well with my personality. Being a natural fabric, cotton is most suitable for all types of weather.”

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