NEW DELHI: She may have carved a niche for herself in the film industry with her indelible performances in films like ‘Mr and Mrs Iyer’, ‘Luck By Chance’ and ‘Wake Up Sid,’ but actress Konkona Sen Sharma feels that female actors have to go through a lot of struggle, compared to their male counterparts.
Talking, Konkona, who will be next seen in Prakash Jha’s controversial film ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’, said, “things are not equal in the industry for male and female actors.
I think women don’t get the same pay as men, who earn much more for the similar kind of work. Women stories are not told on the screen realistically speaking.
”So, yeah the struggle for them is much more.” “We hold women to impossible standards. Things that are permissible for male actors, are not allowed for the women in cinema.”
The actress, gearing up for the release of ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’, said getting funds for a female-oriented movie is still a big task in the industry. “I think it is difficult to tell anything, which does not follow the mainstream narrative,” the ‘Page 3’ fame actress said.
On being asked whether big stars are an important part of the industry, the 37-year-old actress said, “Yeah absolutely, and there is nothing wrong with that. I think stars are part of the emotional psyche of the films.
They form a part of our emotional system. ”But, its just that we don’t get to see anything else. We need to see all kind of different content, whether it is women stories or stories that are not usually told, stories which are not depicted, lives that are not usually spoken of. These other kinds are very experimental, as they have limited resources to use.”
Talking about her role in the upcoming film, Konkona said she plays a mother of three. “My character’s name is Shireen Aslam. She has three children. She manages her household and her life as per the expectations from her. She has certain restrictions, which she accepts but she also has certain desires which she wants to fulfill. But, she has to work around the loopholes and find some innovative ways to accomplish the small dreams and side by side fulfilling so many roles,” Konkona said. Rejecting the notion that feeling confined as an actor led her to take plunge into direction, Konkona said, ”No, this is not the reason why I took a plunge into direction. ”I was obsessed with the story. I felt I had to write about it.
I felt I had to direct it. But yeah definitely, the choices, specially for women in their 30s are limited and I don’t think there are as many stories.” Commenting on the increasing mob lynchings, Konkana, who joined Activists and many Bollywood celebrities like Shabana Azmi, Rajat Kapoor, Ranvir Shorey and Kalki Koechlin to stage a protest against ‘community-targeted’ mob lynchings and holding a placard bearing slogans “Killing over food. Not in my Name”, said, “I am against all kind of communal violence, regardless of who the perpetrators or the victims are.”
When asked how she felt being an outsider in both Hindi and Bengali film industries, Konkona said, “I enjoy it very much. I thoroughly appreciate this advantage point that I have.” ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’, directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, speaks of the pulsating spirit of rebellion among women.
It has already won several accolades at the various film festivals around the world. The film stars Konkana Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur in the lead roles, while Vikrant Massey and Sushant Singh form the supporting cast.
Konkona plays a Muslim woman and a housewife with three children, who seeks the alternative life of a saleswoman. Ratna Pathak is a lonely widow, who seeks a lustful phone romance with a younger man, while Aahana Kumra leads a sex-fuelled life two-timing her husband with a photographer.
Plabita, meanwhile, plays an 18-year-old burkha-clad college girl wanting to make the future that she wants. The makers of the film had a battle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for its ‘lady oriented’ content, but overruling the board’s refusal, the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) has issued an ‘A’ certificate to this ‘feminist’ drama. The flick will hit the theatres on July 21. (AGENCIES)
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