Mumbai: In her almost 15-years-long career, Konkona Sensharma has featured in many stand out projects which have pushed the envelope but the actor says there are still a very few people who are ready to back something unconventional.
When the actor was offered to feature in the short ‘A Monsoon Date’, it gave her the opportunity to play someone she had never played before: a transsexual.
“I had never done anything like this before. That was a huge draw for me. The subject was dealt so beautifully, it was so nuanced, and was written with a lot of compassion. I was very lucky to be offered something like this because there aren’t so many good offers that come my way,” Konkona told PTI.
The actor says she isn’t necessarily sad over the lack of good offers as she feels fortunate to work with some of the best people in the business.
“It doesn’t sadden me. I have been lucky enough to get some good projects like ‘Talvar’, ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ and my upcoming film ‘Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare’. I’m very happy to have worked with the kind of people I have in the past and the ones I’m working with now.”
For the role of transsexual ‘A Monsoon Date’, Konkona says she prepared for the role by talking to the director Tanuja Chandra and writer Gazal Dhaliwal.
“The story opens at a time where a lot has already happened in her life. I wanted to bring myself up to speed about that. So I sat with Tanuja and Gazal to understand what is the back story, what all has happened to her, so at some level I can try to process that,” she said.
“Gazal also has lived that life. Because she has written it herself, she was able to communicate her experiences. That was very helpful for me. The three of us really collaborated on this, she added.
The actor says though it’s wonderful that there are films like ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’, ‘Aligarh’ among others in the Indian cinema now, but the representation of LGTBQ community is ‘far away from enough’.
‘By and large, we shy away… There’s an under-representation of this community on screen,” she added
Asked what could be the reason, the actor says, “It’s a question more for people who produce and finance films but there are a very few people ready to back something unconventional. Many times people want to finance films which follow a certain formula. There’s a lack of imagination when it comes to doing things which are slightly different.”
PTI
