Today, we celebrate the birthday of one of Bollywood’s most gifted actors. Konkona Sen Sharma, who’s the daughter of filmmaker and actress, Aparna Sen is one of India’s leading actresses in parallel cinema and has been instrumental in transforming the way we look at contemporary women in cinema.
Her flawless acting in some of the most path-breaking movies of our times has won our hearts several times over. Though her stint in Bollywood began with more artistic cinema, her recent foray into commercial films has been extremely successful as well. On her birthday, I can’t wait to relive my favorite Konkona Sen Sharma characters and why I loved them.
1) Meenaxi Iyer in Mr.and Mrs. Iyer
Konkona totally nailed the character of a Tamil housewife in this one. Her accent and her chemistry with Rahul Bose was so perfect that it won her the National Award for Best Actress. Now, that’s the best present a daughter could receive in a film directed by her own mother. The movie was loved by critics and it proved that Konkona was here to stay.
2) Madhavi Sharma in Page 3
As the righteous journalist in the big bad world of glamor and celebrities, Konkona was mind-blowing. Page 3 is seen as Madhur Bhandarkar‘s best work and Konkona literally carried the movie on her shoulders. Who says we need a big hero to draw the junta to the movies? This is my favorite Konkona movie and I can still watch it over and over again just for her brilliant acting skills.
3) Indu Tyagi in Omkaara
In Vishal Bharadwaj’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, Konkona played Langda Tyagi’s ( Saif Ali Khan) wife. This movie was extra special as she received her first ever Filmfare Award and her second National Award for this one. I loved her in this very traditional Indian avatar and it was so radically different from the bold, outgoing Page 3 character.
4) Shruti in Life In A… Metro
In this 2007 film based on the lives of nine people in Mumbai, Konkona plays a producer at a radio station. She is a young, insecure girl in love with an RJ who she discovers is gay. She ends up meeting Monty ( Irfan Khan) through a matrimonial site and all the dating scenes with the two of them are hilarious. They’re basically so awkward around each other and their natural, spontaneous acting is the highlight of the movie for me. Konkona won her second Filmfare Award for this one.
5) Aisha Banerjee in Wake Up Sid
Let’s face it. Before the movie came out, everyone was so apprehensive about Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen romancing each other on the silver screen. But, their chemistry was surprisingly refreshing. I loved her character Aisha, an aspiring writer from Kolkata who lives by herself and grows to love Mumbai as she discovers more about it. It reminds me of when I first came to the city for college and that really makes it extra lovable.
Aisha helps Sid see why he needs to grow up and take control of his life. And they fall in love. I think I’m going to start by watching this one today especially for the songs which make you all dreamy eyed and remind you of the luscious Mumbai monsoon.
These are just some of the movies I loved but there are so many more of her characters which you guys appreciate, so I’d love if you share those with me as well. Konkona won accoloades for her portrayal of a mentally ill woman in 15 Park Avenue and for her roles in Aaja Nachle and Laaga Chunri Mein Daag. Personally, I also really enjoyed watching Konkona experiment with lighter, fun flicks like Athithi Tum Kab Jaaoge with Ajay Devgn and Luck By Chance with Farhan Akhtar.
Konkona made her theatre debut in 2009 with Blue Mug and I’d totally want to see more of her in plays and movies. For now, she’s just enjoying playing Mommy to her little son Haroon with husband, Ranvir Shorey.
We at MissMalini wish Konkona Sen Sharma a super duper Birthday full of hugs and kisses from her family and friends and hopefully a year that marks a successful post preggo comeback into movies.