Shabana, Lillete say yes to Aparna Sen without hearing script

Veteran filmmaker Aparna Sen says actresses Shabana Azmi and Lillete Dubey agreed to be a part of her upcoming English directorial Sonata without even listening to the script. The filmmaker, who also stars alongside Shabana and Lillete in the movie, says she is having a great time working with the two as they bring to the table something that is beyond anyone’s expectations. “Both of them just accepted the roles without listening to the script. They just said yes. They always have their own inputs. They bring to the characters something you have not anticipated,” Aparna said. Sonata, based on playwright Mahesh Elkunchwar’s production of the same name, deals with mid-life crisis of three characters – Aruna Chaturvedi (professor), Dolon Sen (banker) and Subhadra Parekh (journalist) played by Aparna, Shabana and Lillite respectively. “This is about female bonding, bonding among three friends in college. All three very intelligent women having led successful fields. They are all involved in their work and respect each other’s intelligence,” says Aparna, who has helmed films like Mr and Mrs Iyer and 36 Chowringhee Lane. Talking about acting in her own directorial venture, Aparna, 71, says it was quite a task to manage both the departments. “It is very difficult to act and direct at the same time in a film. I don’t get the benefit of supervision. It is very difficult to say which I like the more.”