I DO ME ΚΟΝΚΟΝΑ SENSHARMA

IN PARENTING, PERSONAL STYLE AND FILM CHOICES, THE ACCLAIMED ACTRESS HAS ALWAYS CHARTED HER OWN COURSE. SPEAKING TO HELLO!, SHE SHARES HOW SHE’S FOSTERING A FREE-THINKING APPROACH IN RAISING HER SON, TAKING INSPIRATION FROM HER OWN UPBRINGING GUIDED BY HER MOTHER

- PUJA TALWAR

“When I was four years old, my parents asked me if I wanted to be Konkona Sen or Konkona Sharma, and that gave me agency to be my person and have my own opinion.”

This more or less defines Konkona Sensharma, who stands out in the film industry as a multi-talented individual with a distinctive voice. She credits her diverse skills to her mother, the acclaimed director Aparna Sen. Interestingly, Sen was a strict parent during Konkona’s formative years and notably disapproved of mainstream cinema. “I did sneak in the odd masala film in the ’80s and ’90s, but we watched a lot of Indian regional and world cinema together. She also instilled in me a love for reading and encouraged me to imagine the world for myself. This positive influence provided me with ample space to develop as a person,” expresses the 44-year-old actress, who has recently starred alongside actor Manoj Bajpayee in the crime caper Killer Soup, directed by Abhishek Choubey for Netflix.

NAVIGATING LIFE WITHOUT EXPECTATIONS 

Konkona shares that on her mother’s side, there is a long history of independent women who were well-educated and chose to marry late, having children later in life. “Thanks to my mother, I realised I don’t need to live up to other people’s expectations of me,” she says.