It is important for young female actors to learn to say no: Aparna Sen

Ace filmmaker, prolific actress and Padma Shri winner Aparna Sen casually moves through the milling crowd at the Tagore Theatre, Thiruvananthapuram, interacting with the audience as well as the organisers.
She settles in for a quick chat after inaugurating the stall of Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) at the venue on Saturday, musing about how she finds the State “very beautiful and also so hot”.
Aparna, who is on a high after her latest film Sonata, gets candid about her film, gender equality, IFFK memories, her daughter

Konkona Sen

and more…


Is this your first IFFK?

I have been here before to attend the IFFI, when it was held here in sometime in the 90s. It was an important fest for me as my movie

Yugant

was not included in the Panorama section even though it got a National Award for Best Bengali film; so that was strange. A lot of people wanted to watch the film so I brought it to Kerala with me and we had a screening. I remember Deepa Mehta was also here as her film Fire was being screened. Somebody came and asked me if I thought the film was against Indian culture? I asked them, ‘Are you trying to tell me that lesbianism do not exist in India?’


What do you look forward in this year’s edition?

I have only seen the opening film in this edition so far. As I am also engaged with other events, I haven’t got time to watch the films yet. But I hope I get the time and I have a list planned too. Since I am here as part of IFFK, interacting with people is important, but I really like watching films.


You stressed on the need for eliminating gender injustice during the inauguration of WCC. Can you elaborate?

We have to change the structures of relationships that exist in society, that is what I think is very important. Women artistes have always been facing issues everywhere. It keeps happening in Mumbai. Even in Hollywood, everybody is talking about it now.
The casting couch business is so common and A lot of young actresses just give in because they need to build their careers. I realise that it is difficult for them to sometimes say ‘no’ because there is so of much at stake and they are just starting their careers.
Sometimes they fail to understand somebody’s approach. It could be a director or a producer talking about films, but may have other intentions and that becomes clear only when it is too late. So it is very important that female actors be very careful. They should have the attitude that I will build a protective shell around myself so nobody can approach me.
It is very important for them to say ‘no’. I know sometimes it is very difficult. And it is also important for the attitudes of the men to change. They can’t think that they are doing somebody a favour by just taking advantage of them sexually and then casting them.

If they are casting the actors then it must be based on their artistic or professional reasons and not based on sexual favours.


Tell us about your new film Sonata.

Well Sonata is about sisterhood among women. It is about female bonding which is very rare. We see many films with male bonding but not female bonding particularly if they are past their youth. The three women characters are senior citizens, classmates and they have their own anxieties, desires and their secrets and all that is shown in the film. Shabana Azmi’s character is frivolous and quite wild.


Do you have a preference when it comes to choosing the themes for your films?

It’s not just women-oriented films. I have also done movies where men have been the protagonists such as Yugant, where the woman is corrupt and the man is important. And then Mr and Mrs Iyer, which is not women centric; it is about communal harmony and what is happening around us. I talk about communal harmony as I feel it is important and it manifests between individuals.


What is your opinion on women filmmakers?

We need more actresses and directors. Women can do both acting and direction. Both Konkana and I have been straddling both. I don’t see a division between the two. They can perform well in both departments.


As an actor, how do you see Konkana?

She is anybody’s dream actor. She is instintive rather than being cerebral. She is also very good director who has a natural sensitivity. She has had that since her childhood and being sensitive to others is a quality that you need in a director. As a daughter, she is one of my closest friends.