My work makes me happy

From being the arthouse cinema sweetheart to a mainstream film star, Konkona Sen Sharma has worked in Bollywood on her own terms. On International Women’s Day, Konkona speaks about the agonies and ecstasies of being a woman

It’s a man’s world: The mainstream Hindi film industry is a male dominated one. I don’t really see that changing. I would say it’s unfortunate that every film needs a hero, who is more often than not, larger than life. Nothing much can be done about it. This is what the audience loves to see. Personally, I may not really identify with the running-around-the tree kind of roles, but if I am offered one and it is intrinsic to the plot, I will do it. That’s how the industry works.

Mom’s the word: I adore everything about my mom (Aparna Sen). I have never felt overwhelmed by her personality. We are two different entities. It’s true that when I began my career, everybody knew me only as her daughter. But today everyone knows me because of my work. I respect her immensely as a professional and she is proud of me as well. At work we share a director-actor tie and sometimes the mom-daughter relationship takes a backseat. I can’t say she’s only a director on the sets. In fact our blood ties, it actually help in bringing out the best in us.

Man-woman equation: I am a great believer in all relationships. My relationships are more important than my work. Our lives thrive on relationships and mutual respect and trust is what keeps relationships going. I’ve never felt dominated by men. May be I am just lucky that I belong to a family and background where there’s no room for such things. But I believe that every women should be financially independent. And I think every woman should value her self-esteem.

Wedding wows: As a contemporary woman I like to make my own rules. Marriage is important, but it’s not the ‘be all and end all’ of my life. Marriage will happen at the right time. I am happy in a relationship and there’s no great rush to marry.

Role play: Neither am I ambitious nor am I a go-getter. I do things at my own pace. I am happy with the kind of work I have done so far and am excited about all that I am going to do. I have a couple of films this year. I’ve loved working for Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, then there I have Right Ya Wrong, Iti Mrinalini and Sunglass. A woman has a lot of potential in her. I just try and bring out some aspects through the diverse kind of roles I get to play. That makes me a happy woman.

- Sitiemilia , Signapore .