Saturday, Oct 26, 2013
Speaking to the Sens — director Aparna Sen and her actress daughter Konkona Sen Sharma — should come with a statutory warning: Highly engaging, but highly explosive, too.
tabloid! discovered this as the duo discussed their Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) showcase Goynar Baksho (The Jewellery Box), premiering in the Middle East at Emirates Palace on Tuesday night.
While director Aparna Sen hates to be disturbed in the midst of her writing process (a fair demand) and prefers SMS over an intrusive telephone call, her daughter Konkona Sen balks at the term “girl power”.
“It’s [girl power] such a part of an American pop culture. I would never use that term to describe a film like Goynar Baksho,” said Sen Sharma in an telephone interview.
Perhaps she has a point: In the past, the mother-daughter union has given rise to award-winning films such as Mr & Mrs Iyer (a love story between a wildlife photographer and a devout Tamil Brahmin in the backdrop of communal violence), 15 Park Avenue (a touching story of a schizophrenic) and Iti Mrinalini (a story about an ageing actress); films that could never be classified as pedestrian.
“Both Konkona and I don’t like putting things into slots. We don’t like easy terminology,” said Aparna. Their reserve ends there as they are more than happy to shed light on Goynar Baksho.
“It’s a satire. It’s about three generations of women and their place in society. It’s about a jewellery box that is passed from one generation to the next,” says Aparna.
“The box first belonged to an old widow who had no financial security. She had to depend on her relatives’ kindness and charity. The jewellery box was her only capital. When she dies, she passes it on to her daughter-in-law, played by me. She is shy and not a rebel or a revolutionary,” says Sen Sharma. The box is then passed on to Sen Sharma’s daughter who’s more progressive than her timid mother. Set in 19th century Bengal, the film is an adaptation of Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay’s novel.
“It’s always difficult to make films that are not set in your own time. We start with 1949 when we show the childhood of the first generation woman and then it goes up to 1971 when the Bangladesh War of Independence started. So it’s quite a span. Nothing in the frame should give away the age we live in,” says Aparna.
While recreating the 1970s was challenging, Aparna, whose credits include 36 Chowringhee Lane, had ample support from her cast and daughter.
“When we are with people who we love and are close to, there is bound to be some friction. We occasionally have arguments but I don’t feel any generation gap with her. She’s so young at heart. She can be herself with me and I can be myself with her. We share similar values and world views. And when she’s the director, I know it’s her film and I listen to her,” says Sen Sharma.
Their camaraderie translates well on screen too.
“My daughter says a mother and a director have many traits in common. The mother scolds, cajoles, caresses and controls — all of that a director does too. I have become a mother to all of them. Even to the ones who are older than me,” says Aparna. Goynar Baksho also stars veteran actress Moushami Chatterjee and Srabanti Chatterjee.
While Aparna is considered one of India’s most talented filmmakers, she boasts a slim film catalogue. She has directed nine films in her three-decade reign and stands as a welcome exception in an industry that prides itself with churning out as many movies as possible. “It’s not a good idea to be too prolific. You don’t have time to think it through.”
Perhaps that’s why she has stayed away from making Hindi films. Both Mr & Mrs Iyer and 15 Park Avenue were English-language feature films that employed Bollywood character actors such as Rahul Bose and Shabana Azmi.
“I think the moment you make a Hindi film you get into this [world of] stars. You can never make your own kind of film,” says Aparna.
Don’t miss it
Goynar Baksho (The Jewellery Box) will be screened at ADFF on Tuesday, October 29 at 9pm, Emirates Palace. Director Aparna Sen is slated to walk the red carpet. There will be a repeat screening on Thurdsay, October 31 at 8.45pm, at Vox 2. Visit adff.ae for details.
By Manjusha ?Radhakrishnan, Senior Reporter
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
