Konkona Sen on Nepotism, Privilege, and Crafting a Stellar Career in Cinema

Konkona Sen Sharma, who was exposed to the world of cinema at a very young age, spoke about nepotism in an interview with Zoom.

“Today, I realise it was a dream to work with my mother. In terms of nepotism, which is such a hot topic now — yes, I have had the best kind of nepotism, in a way. I have had so much privilege and so much luck that it wasn’t even that I wanted to become an actor. I didn’t. My mother had no plans to launch me,” she said.

The actress admits that her work has benefitted from connections, although her journey wasn’t driven by ambition but rather by serendipity.

“My mother was writing Mr. and Mrs. Iyer on her desktop, and it used to be in my room. She would read it aloud to me, and it was from my expressions that she felt I should play this part. A lot of the time, I don’t get dragged into this nepotism debate. Do I think it is unfair? Yes, it is unfair — but it happens everywhere. I would always like to acknowledge my luck and privilege in this situation, that I got to do Mr. and Mrs. Iyer as my third film.”

Mr. and Mrs. Iyer is a 2002 film directed by Aparna Sen, featuring Konkona Sen and Rahul Bose. The film catapulted Konkona to stardom and critical acclaim.

Konkona and Aparna have also collaborated on other films such as Titli, 15 Park Avenue, and Iti Mrinalini, among others.

The actress made her foray into Hindi cinema with the film Page 3, in which she portrays the role of a journalist navigating the world of Page 3 media.

Over her long and distinguished career, the talented actress has played a wide range of roles, doing justice to each one. She effortlessly gets into the depth of her characters and is widely known for her natural and authentic performances.

Konkona made her film debut with Ek Je Aachhe Kanya (2001). Since then, she has starred in many critically acclaimed films such as Titli, Amu, Page 3, Omkara, Life in a... Metro, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Wake Up Sid, Iti Mrinalini, Talvar, Lipstick Under My Burkha, and Ajeeb Daastaans, among many others.

Her directorial debut, A Death in the Gunj, also received widespread praise for its storytelling and direction.

Konkona was last seen in Metro… In Dino, which was released in theatres on July 4. The film revolves around modern relationships and also features Sara Ali Khan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Anupam Kher, and Neena Gupta.

The actress, who primarily focuses on Hindi and Bengali films, has won two National Awards and three Filmfare Awards.