Aparna Sen on why she continues making films she believes in

Aparna SenEnroute to the ongoing Pune International Film Festival which runs till January 19 Aparna Sen stopped by in Mumbai The Kolkatabased veteran actressfilmmaker is chairperson of the jury She was looking forward to soaking in some world cinema and enjoying Punes cool climes A shawl and a pair of socks should do fine right she asks when we meet her at a coffee house in Juhu Mumbai and Kolkata are not exactly cold she intonesShabana Azmi Lillete Dubey and Aparna Sen in the upcoming English film SonataWhenever possible Sen visits Mumbai to catch up on whats latest in her fiveyearold grandson Haroons daughter Konkonas tot life He has picked up Bengali Hindi English and Punjabi But he prefers to talk to me in English He refers to me as mummum thats what Konkana calls me she says endearinglyKnown for films like 36 Chowringhee Lane 1981 Paroma 1984 Mr and Mrs Iyer 2001 and The Japanese Wife 2010 Sen is currently in the midst of postproduction of her next English film Sonata which stars Shabana Azmi Lillete Dubey and herself Adapted from Marathi litterateur Mahesh Elkunchwars play of the same name the film revolves around three unmarried women facing a midlife crisis Sen plays a professor Azmis a banker and Dubey essays the role of a scribeAsk Sen about dealing with two powerhouse actresses Shabana and Lillete and she laughs You mean were there catfights and ego tussles Did they give me a tough time during the shoot Not at all we are far from that We completed the film in 20 days in Kolkata We were all so into the character that there was no time to do anything elseSens association with Azmi goes back decades She calls me Rina Thats my pet name only those close to me refer to me by that name This explains my rapport with Shabana And I call her Munni thats what her folks have called her at home since childhood She tells me when she shoots with me its difficult for her to shoot with someone else Shooting with Shabana is pure joy We discuss dissect and she just dives into the roleIronically in the film Azmi plays a Bengali character while Sen plays a woman from Uttar Pradesh Thats the novelty as we stepped outside our zones It would be given that I play a Bengali and she from UP but our role reversal has just added to the filmAzmi has also rendered two tracks in Sonata Its Rabindra Sangeet and when I told her she should take a shot at singing as well she took it upon as a challenge She coached herself and hit the high notes without taking recourse to a background scoreOn the other hand Sen has collaborated with Lillete for the first time Now I wonder why I did not work with her earlier I would insist that her straight hair have that curly look to go with her characterisation now shes hoping to work with me again some daySens name is synonymous with arthouse and sliceoflife cinema I began as an actress in Bengali films but when I decided to turn director I clearly knew what kind of films I would make I did not want to direct the same type of films I had acted in I wanted to do meaningful films as a director Films I believed in and not dictated by terms and conditions Its my choice This is what makes me happy this is what I am comfortable doing Or I would have continued to act in commercial films I direct in English and Bengali as these are the languages I am comfortable in At the same time she does not consider Hindi films an alien territory Sen did try fitting into Bollywood but something or the other would happen and the project would not take offSen points outs I think most Bollywood stars are wary of taking role decisions for themselves There are too many people around guiding them and telling them about their image When you relate a story to a Bollywood star they dont know whether they should commit or not She is well aware that Bollywood is dictated by economics rather than artHer last Hindi venture was Saari Raat with Konkana Anjan Dutt and Ritwick Chakraborty It was part of the Zeal for Unity project and I hope the makers release itLike other Bengali filmmakers like Mrinal Sen Buddhadeb Dasgupta and the late Rituparno Ghosh she feels regional filmmakers are also known and have got their due Our projects are appreciated have won awards do the festival rounds That is what matters to me I love attending film festivals and travelling or take off to my Santiniketan home when I want to get away or pen a scriptSen has yet to see daughter Konkanas directoral debut A Death In The Ganj on the big screen I have watched it on a CD on TV but the real essence is when you view it in a cinema hall She refrained from going on the sets or providing inputs to Konkana It is her project but I know how Konkana functions she had visually imagined each and every scene in her headDoes she watch Bollywood flicks I have heard a lot about Dangal I think I should watch it The last Hindi film I saw was Ae Dil Hai Mushkil I really dont know why I saw it I think because of Aishwarya Rai as she was back after a while But I enjoyed watching Masaan and Aligarh Both were exceptionally good with performances to watch A clear reflection of the kind of cinema Sen subscribes to