‘My mother isn’t my competition’
Actor Konkona Sen,
Sharma, (left) who just made her directorial debut, is not bothered by comparisons with her mother, veteran filmmaker Aparna Sen.
“Even when I started acting, people would come up with these comparisons. But that’s how they think. It’s not how we think. I can’t think of her as competition,” says Konkona. “She is the pioneer and I’m really happy to follow in her footsteps. I am glad she was there to carry the torch first,” she says.
The 37-year-old actor says that she isn’t naturally a competitive or ambitious person. “Regardless, I have high standards for myself, which I often don't meet. That's my own tragedy,” Konkona adds.
Set in late 1970’s, Konkona’s film is about a Bengali uppermiddle class family who come to McCluskieganj from Calcutta for a family vacation. However, things take a deadly turn. Asked why she chose this particular time period, Konkona says she finds the year 1979 romantic. “It sounds magical to me. It's the era. I love the ’70s. I love the sensibility of the time and I feel everything changed from the year 1980. A Death in the Gunj feels like that kind of a film. It's like from a time which doesn’t exist anymore,” she adds. The film also stars Ranvir Shorey, Tanuja, Vikrant Massey, Kalki Koechlin, and Jim Sarbh.