I HATED THE PRESSURE OF LOOKING A CERTAIN WAY

It may surprise Konkona Sen Sharma’s fans that the actor who stunned everyone with her flawless performances in films such as Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Page 3 and Omkara didn’t enjoy acting at all in the beginning. It took a while for her to adjust.

“Acting has not been a smooth sailing journey. I never wanted to be an actor. Till my third film, I didn’t imagine that I would continue acting. I didn’t like it at all. It was only after three films that I became comfortable with acting,” says Konkona.

The pressure to look a certain way also got on her nerves. “I was very unhappy. I used to cry regularly. I felt a lot of pressure to look a certain way. I was just very uncomfortable with the whole situation. Eventually, things changed. I don’t know how and when, but it changed,” she says. Konkona recalls that while acting in a Bengali film that was a remake of a Hollywood film, she had a difficult time turning herself into the character. “I had to be thin. My hair was curly, which I never enjoyed. Your body is not your own when you are acting in a film. It becomes your character’s body. Everyone sees you like that and builds up perceptions of you that have nothing to do with you. It took me getting used to that,” says the 37-year-old actor.

After Konkona Sen Sharma had her son, she shot for Gaur Hari Dastaan, in which she played a 60year-old woman. During that time, she had an inner awakening. “I remember driving to shoot. I could see those big lights. The makeup mirror and the lights gave me a sense of belonging and home. Along the way, I did realise how I had started to love this,” she says.

HT PHOTO