Aparna Sen on ‘Sonata’, female bonding and the benefits of ‘benign neglect’

A lot can happen in a single evening – such as three middle-aged women getting together and reflecting on their lives, ideals and relationships. Mahesh Elkunchwar’s English language play Sonata, about a Sanskrit teacher, a journalist and a multinational corporation employee, has been adapted by veteran director Aparna Sen for her forthcoming movie. Sonata stars Sen alongside Shabana Azmi and Lillete Dubey and will be released on April 21.

Sen’s previous release, Arshinagar, was also an adaptation of a play – William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The movie had painted backdrops and dialogue in verse. Sonata, on the other hand, is a realistic account of three middle-aged women – a category that is often ignored by most filmmakers, Sen told Scroll.in.

How were you introduced to Mahesh Elkunchwar’s play?
Perhaps eight years ago, I watched a beautiful Sohag Sen production of Sonata. I was impressed by the play because it explored female bonding in a very interesting way. So far, we have mostly seen films and plays about male bonding, and this was new.

Also, these women are middle-aged. Again, it is a demographic that has not been explored. Despite the fact that the story is set in one location and one evening, the narrative does not falter, but holds your attention throughout. It also has a beautiful interplay of moods and dramatic moments. So I thought, why not try it as a film?

What were the challenges in adapting the play as a film?
I had directed a short film, Saari Raat, which was adapted from a classic play by Badal Sircar. It was also set in one place and featured three characters and had worked out quite well, especially abroad. So I thought, let me try a chamber piece and work on the choreography and the set.

The play itself does not feel static. And in the film, which is set in the sitting-dining room, we can see glimpses of the terrace and just a glimpse of the bedroom. But when you see the film, not for a moment you feel as though it is set in one place. There is a lot of movement.

There is a line in the trailer that has resonated well with women: “What awful creatures we are – no commitment, no aim, no ideology, we are not even feminists!” How has the definition of feminism changed for you over the years?
Earlier, feminism was by definition freedom from a patriarchal society. Today it has become wider in its spectrum. Now it includes anyone who is a victim of the caste system, anybody who is marginalised.

Most women are not consciously feminists. They live life on their own terms and they are actually in their way comparatively independent. And they are not even aware of it.

My film is not just about feminism but is an exploration of the feminine. The three women are single, unmarried and working, with no children. And then there is this maid whose daughter is pregnant, whose life is very different from the affluent, upper middle class women for whom she works. When she is denied leave to visit her daughter, she snaps, saying, “What would you understand about a mother’s love for children?”

There is also a transgender friend, who has undergone sexual reassignment surgery. It is a cameo that touches upon a different aspect of the feminine.

At the time of casting, did you see yourself as the character you portray?
Not at all. I don’t really care for acting. But had I not done so, it would have been a deal breaker with the producers.

You have been talking about the excellent chemistry you share with Shabana Azmi and Lillete Dubey. In ‘Arshinagar’, you directed Waheeda Rehman and you share a great rapport with her too.
I have had a good rapport with whoever I have worked with. You have to pamper your actors. They are the ones who are expressing your thoughts through their faces and body language. You have to treat them carefully – like a precious prop, but with a mind of its own. I also have a very maternal instinct – what Shabana calls natural mothering.

Was it difficult to convince your husband Kalyan Ray to make an appearance in the film?
We did not give him a choice. We just told him that he had to do it. Besides, he is a good-looking man. He has tremendous screen presence.

‘36 Chowringhee Lane’, which was produced by Shashi Kapoor in 1981, was where it all started for you. Has filmmaking become easier since then?
Well, you do not get producers like Shashi Kapoor anymore. In fact, he used to tell me, “Abhi toh haste haste film banayi, iske baad rona padega” (You are enjoying the process now but you will weep later).

The concept of marketing has changed. You need to have a publicity machinery and a strong cast. Now, if your film does not do well on the first Friday, Saturday, Sunday, it is over. But I believe that the film industry will be poorer without the small films with exceptional artists, good stories and humanity. It is important for the big films to ensure that the smaller films too stand a chance.

Would ‘Mr and Mrs Iyer’ have been possible in today’s scenario? Would it have gotten past the censor board?
If a film is about human beings people can identify with, it will always do well. Even when I was doing 36 Chowringhee Lane, people were worried about whether it was the right subject for my debut. I was not worried at all, because people identified with Miss Stoneham’s character [played by Jennifer Kendal].

With Mr and Mrs Iyer, everybody felt that this could happen to me tomorrow. When we were shooting for the film, India had already seen the Bombay riots and the anti-Sikh riots – they are mentioned in the film. On the last day of the shoot, we heard about the Godhra riots. We felt terrible. It was almost as if the film was clairvoyant, and that made it very significant.

Your daughter Konkona Sen Sharma has made her directorial debut with ‘Death in the Gunj’. What did you think of her film?
Just like me, she sees images very clearly in her head. In fact, the clarity of her vision often surprises me. I still work like that. When I made Paroma [starring Rakhi Gulzar in the titular role], I just had this vision of a woman with a shorn head, the archetypal adulteress, and the rest followed.

Konkona will make a good director. But she needs to keep making films. It is very difficult when you are a mother raising a kid and with no support system.

I was lucky because I had a nanny who got along well with Konkona, and her father was around as well. Besides, I believe in benign neglect. Assure your child that you are there for her. But do not try to be in charge of every little thing in your child’s life. I always say that my children are what they are in spite of me, not because of me.