Konkona returns with a double-edged sword

Actor talks about upcoming film ‘Talvar’ and why she hasn’t tread the road to Hollywood.

NEW DELHI: Her acting prowess in films with hard-hitting storylines has been lauded at foreign film festivals with Talvar being the latest instance, but Konkona Sen Sharma has avoided Hollywood so far. The acclaimed actor said she’s not averse to the idea of being part of international projects, but that has never been her top priority.

“I haven’t done it [worked in films abroad] so far, and have been working for over 13 to 14 years. I don’t have any plans as such,” she said. “To begin with, there’s no burning ambition to work in foreign projects and secondly, if these things have to happen, they happen,” she added.



The Wake Up Sid actor is content after hearing about the rousing reception that Meghna Gulzar’s Talvar got following its screening at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival. An investigative thriller, the movie, releasing on October 2, is based on the infamous Aarushi Talwar murder case. “I’m so happy to hear about the appreciation,” said Konkona, who plays the mother of the murdered character in the film. Also starring Irrfan Khan and Tabu, the film unfolds the case of the 2008 murder of 14-year-old Aarushi Talwar and her family’s domestic servant Hemraj.

Read: Konkona and I have mutually decided to separate: Ranvir Shorey

Konkona feels it’s the room for ambiguity in the murder case, with its missing chunks, that makes the film interesting and grips the audience’s attention. “This isn’t an open-and-shut case. Since there’s mystery and intrigue regarding this particular case, with so much interest around it, books and films are being made on it now. There’s room for ambiguity and it’s what makes the film interesting as it’s an investigative thriller,” said Konkona, the daughter of filmmaker Aparna Sen.



The actor, who was last seen in Gour Hari Dastaan: The Freedom File, asserted that her character has more than what meets the eye, which is what made her say ‘yes’ to the project. “It’s not a flat character. There’s a certain ambiguity to it and many shades of grey. Because of the way we’ve presented it, where audiences view the characters with doubt — as guilty, not guilty, accomplice or not — I felt all that will be quite challenging as a role,” she said.

The murder case still grabs headlines with the investigation still under way, but Konkona firmly stated that “the film is not solving the case,” adding, “It’s putting up three different scenarios during the investigation and holding them up and then it’s for the audiences to decide.”

Read: Sonakshi Sinha can't wait to play Dawood Ibrahim's sister

Asked if being a mother herself emotionally affected her portrayal of the mother of a murdered daughter, Konkona said that the characters played by actors don’t mirror their real life. “I’d not say that because I’m a mother, it was emotionally draining ... because we don’t always identify with our characters as our real-life scenarios don’t mirror what we play on screen,” she said.

Konkona also announced her separation with husband and actor Ranvir Shorey via Twitter on September 14. The couple had been married for a little over five years and has a four-year-old son Haroon, whom they plan on parenting together. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2015.

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