I Don't Like Being Looked At

Arguably one of the best actors of our times, Konkona Sensharma has followed in her mother’s footsteps and is debuting as a director, with A Death in the Gunj. She curled up on a chair with some cola and smokes to casually chat about movies, film-making and not finding enough time to watch them.

- Arnesh Ghose

It is difficult to look Konkona Sensharma directly in the eyes. She might be a petite, demure, casually-dressed actor, having an informal conversation with you on a random evening — but her eyes burn, black and fiery, exuding power, crackling talent and intelligence. Her directorial debut, A Death in the Gunj, has just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and she has a relatively less crazy schedule. “I am so jet-lagged,” she smiles wearily, as she rolls a cigarette for herself. “I had to get back to sorting things out at home. The Wi-Fi is not working; the dryer is not working…” To hear her crib about such mundane domesticity is both unnerving and enjoyable.

You are unlikely to find anyone who does not enjoy watching Sensharma on-screen. Even in films that can go down as bad choices, she has not delivered bad performances. It almost feels like she does not know how to. In the mainstream space, she has primarily played a second fiddle, but one who always finds mention in the reviews and is remembered by the audience. “I wish I had a 9-to-5 job, you know,” she says, surprisingly. “I have never had that. No one in my family has had that. People tell me I would get very bored of it, but I would like to try it out.”