New Delhi [India], January 13 : Actor Konkona Sensharma, who found fame in the Hindi film industry with her role in her mother Aparna Sen's acclaimed directorial 'Mr and Mrs Iyer', has said she never felt any pressure to live up to other people's expectations.
While Aparna Sen has been conferred with numerous awards, including the country's fourth-highest civilian honour, Padma Shri, for her acclaimed work both in front and behind the camera and significant contributions to both the Bengali and Hindi film industries, her daughter, too, won a National Award for 'Best Actress' for 'Mr and Mrs Iyer' in 2003.
In an interview with ANI, Konkona not only delved deep into the personal equations with her mother but also sought to draw a distinction between Aparna Sen, the filmmaker, and mother.
Asserting that she takes a lot of pride in being the daughter of a globally renowned filmmaker and actor, Konkona said, "I always felt very proud (about being Aparna Sen's daughter). I was aware that viewers would have high expectations of me as I am my mother's daughter. I would take great pride in it and still do. I never drew any comparisons between myself and my mother and neither did any such thought ever cross my mind. Journalists back in the day would often ask me about my mother and the equations that I share with her. To them, I would say, 'A director is like a mother because she is creating, nurturing, and perhaps disciplining. She is the head of that unit, the matriarch, so it's an extension of your personality."
On whether she felt pressure or got bogged down under the weight of expectations, the actor, who also dabbles in filmmaking like her mother, said, "I have never felt any pressure to live up to other people's expectations of me, including my parents. My parents gave me a lot of freedom and space as an individual. My mother was never intrusive about where I was going or coming back. She let me watch and read anything and everything in terms of adult content. There was no censorship from her. She comes from a line of educated, working women who married later and had children late."
Konkona recalled how her mother would be impressed by her sense of confidence.
"When I was growing up, I think she had largely transitioned into being a director and the editor of that women's magazine (Sananda). It was a very popular women's magazine and she used to really write the editorial herself about all kinds of affairs (about) women, catering to a largely female readership. She wrote fearlessly about issues and things that she felt strongly about, thereby setting a wonderful example in the editorial space. I actually didn't witness her years in mainstream commercial cinema. I didn't see much of her work from those years. Maybe it's because I was very young back then."
"I had seen, maybe, a few films she acted in but watched the ones she directed much more. Of course, she used to be very famous when I was younger and we would often go places where I took the onus of being her protector. You know when other people would come and, you know, bug her and bother her. But I feel six feet tall, I don't know why. I feel that way about myself. Even my mother asks me sometimes where I get all that confidence from," Konkana said.
Opening up on her last collaboration with her mother, 'The Rapist', in 2021, Konkona recalled teasing Aparna Sen on the sets. However, she added that they have always had a lot of respect for each other's opinions.
On 'The Rapist', which came out 21 years after the critically acclaimed 'Mr. and Mrs. Iyer', Konkona said, "I have done five films with her. A little bit, I gently started teasing her on the sets (for 'The Rapist')...slightly harassed (her), out of affection. Mostly, we agree on things, and if we don't, we clearly convey to each other the reasons for holding divergent views. However, we respect each other's points of view."
She also spoke about Aparna Sen laying stress on her getting a good education by leaving the comfort of home.
"I read anything and everything in the house because I grew up with a single working mother practically. I had a wonderful relationship with my father and I would visit him, but he was in another city and my parents were divorced. That said, they had a very amicable, respectful kind of divorce, at least from my point of view. But so I grew up a lot with my mum, a single working mother, and I was very shy, very quiet, introverted and bullied. My mom insisted that I leave the comfort of home to go and study. And I couldn't care less as I was very happy at home. I loved being around my friends and family. I was very comfortable. 'No, no, go and study, at least in Delhi University. They have such wonderful colleges. Do whatever you like but go and study away', my mother would say."