Aparna Sen
Encyclopedia
Aparna Sen is a critically acclaimed Bengali
Indian filmmaker
, script writer
, and actress. She is the winner of three National Film Awards
and eight international film festival
awards.
to a Bengali
family, originally from East Bengal
(now Bangladesh
). Her father is the veteran critic and film-maker Chidananda Dasgupta
. Her mother Supriya Dasgupta is the cousin of renowned Bengali poet Jibanananda Das
. She spent her childhood in Hazaribagh
and Kolkata
and had her schooling initially in South Point and later mostly in Modern High School for Girls
, Kolkata.
She studied her B.A. English honors in Presidency College..
She met the Magnum
photographer, Brian Brake
, in Kolkata in 1961 when he was visiting India to photograph his Monsoon series. Brake used Sen as the model for what was to become one of his most well known photographs - a shot of a girl holding her face to the first drops of monsoon rain. The photo shoot was set up on a Kolkata rooftop with a ladder and a watering can. Sen described the shoot:
(Three Daughters) directed by Satyajit Ray
(who was a long time friend of her father's). She then studied at Kolkata's Presidency College
.
Later in life she would work with Satyajit Ray in several of his films, including the short Pikoo (1981) where she played the role of an adulterous wife and mother.
In 1965, Sen resumed her film career in Mrinal Sen
's Akash Kusum which was later remade into a Hindi film Manzil
starring Amitabh Bachchan
and Moushumi Chatterjee.Later she also brought out the different nuances of a widow in Mrinal Sen's Mahaprithibi'. From then until the end of the 1970s, she worked steadily in the Bengali film industry, as leading heroine of the time. She acted in a number of Hindi films as well during this time including Imaan Dharam (1977) with Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha. Aparna Sen was equally successful in the mainstream Bengali films.Her chemistry both with Soumitra Chatterjee
in films such as Basanta Bilap, Baksa Badal, Chutir Fande were loved as much as her films with Uttam Kumar
in Joy Jayanti, Alor Thikana etc.
In 1969, Sen appeared in The Guru
, an English-language feature by Merchant Ivory Productions
. She would make two more films with Merchant-Ivory, Bombay Talkie
(1970), and Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures
(1978).
In 2009, Sen appeared with Sharmila Tagore
and Rahul Bose
in Annirudh Roy-Chowdhary's Bengali film Antaheen
. The film went on to win four National Film Awards
.
. She also wrote its screenplay
. The film, about an aged Anglo-Indian
teacher living in Calcutta, won positive reviews from critics. For her debut feature, Sen won the Best Director award
at the Indian National Film Awards. 36 Chowringhee Lane also won the Grand Prix (the Golden Eagle) at the Manila International Film Festival.
She followed up this early success with several other films, notably Paroma
(1984), Sati
(1989) and Yugant
(1995). These examined the feminine condition in modern-day India from different perspectives. She also starred in Unishe April
(1994), the film by Bengali cinema's Rituparno Ghosh
.
Sen's next directorial effort Paromitar Ek Din
(2000) was a critical hit and recalled the success of her first film. The film explored the relationship between a divorced woman (Rituparna Sengupta
) and her mother-in-law, played by Aparna herself. It won a number of awards on the international festival circuit.
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
(2002), was a love story set against the harsh backdrop of Hindu-Muslim sectarian violence in India. The film won a National Film Award for Sen's direction, and an acting award for Konkona Sen Sharma
, the director's daughter. The film won more awards at the Locarno
, Hawaii and Manila film festivals.
15, Park Avenue
(2005) starred her daughter and the actors Shabana Azmi
, Dhritiman Chaterji
, Waheeda Rehman
, Rahul Bose
and Soumitra Chatterjee
. The film deals with a girl (Konkona Sen Sharma
) who is a schizophrenic and her relations with her elder stepsister, played by Shabana Azmi
.
Her next film named The Japanese Wife
(2010), stars Raima Sen
, Rahul Bose
and Chigusa Takaku
. This film focuses on two women and is based on a short story by West Bengal author Kunal Basu
.
Aparna has made selective films and in the last three decades of her career, she has made only nine films.
In 2009, Sen announced her next Bengali
film Iti Mrinalini
, which stars Konkona Sen Sharma
, Aparna Sen, Rajat Kapoor
, Koushik Sen
, and Priyanshu Chatterjee
. Sen's last Bengali film was Paromitar Ek Din
(2000). First-time screenwriter Ranjan Ghosh
has co-authored Iti Mrinalini
. This was the first time that Aparna Sen collaborated with any film writer or became attached to the curriculum of a film institute. The screenplay of Iti Mrinalini
was an assignment in the Screenwriting syllabus at the Mumbai-based film school Whistling Woods International. It was also a major first in Indian screenwriting whence any screenplay from any Indian film institute was actually filmed. The film is awaiting release on July 29, 2011.
. She has two daughters, Kamalini and Konkona
—who is also an actress—and two grandchildren.
. The highly credentialed Jury, headed by a president of international distinction, determine winners from all nominations in each award category.
From 1986 to 2005, Sen was editor of the fortnightly Sananda
, a Bengali women's magazine (published by the Ananda Bazar Patrika group) that enjoys equal popularity in West Bengal
and Bangladesh
. From November 2005 to December 2006, she was associated with the Bengali 24x7 infotainment channel Kolkata TV
as Creative Director.
In 1986, the then-President of India bestowed the Padma Shri
to Sen in recognition of her contribution to Indian cinema. Since then, she has received several lifetime achievement awards, and served on juries at film festivals around the world.
Bengali cinema
Bengali cinema refers to the Bengali language filmmaking industries in the Bengal region of South Asia. There are two major film-making hubs in the region: one in Kolkata, West Bengal, India and the other in Dhaka, Bangladesh .The history of cinema in Bengal dates back to the 1890s, when the first...
Indian filmmaker
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
, script writer
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, and actress. She is the winner of three National Film Awards
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
and eight international film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
awards.
Biography
Aparna Sen was born in CalcuttaKolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
to a Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
family, originally from East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
(now Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
). Her father is the veteran critic and film-maker Chidananda Dasgupta
Chidananda Dasgupta
Chidananda Das Gupta , , was a Bengali Indian filmmaker, a leading film critic, a film historian and one of the founders of Calcutta Film Society with Satyajit Ray in 1947...
. Her mother Supriya Dasgupta is the cousin of renowned Bengali poet Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das was a noted Bengali poet. He is considered one of the precursors who introduced modernist poetry to Bengali Literature, at a period when it was influenced by Rabindranath Tagore's Romantic poetry....
. She spent her childhood in Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipality in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is famous as a health resort and for Hazaribagh National Park ....
and Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
and had her schooling initially in South Point and later mostly in Modern High School for Girls
Modern High School for Girls
Modern High School for Girls is an all-girl nursery, junior and senior school located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The Headmistress is Mrs Devi Kar.The school motto is "Satyam Shivam Sundaram".- History :...
, Kolkata.
She studied her B.A. English honors in Presidency College..
She met the Magnum
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
photographer, Brian Brake
Brian Brake
Brian Brake was one of New Zealand's most internationally successful photographers.Born in Wellington, New Zealand, John Brian Brake was the adopted son of John Samuel Brake and his wife Jennie Brake...
, in Kolkata in 1961 when he was visiting India to photograph his Monsoon series. Brake used Sen as the model for what was to become one of his most well known photographs - a shot of a girl holding her face to the first drops of monsoon rain. The photo shoot was set up on a Kolkata rooftop with a ladder and a watering can. Sen described the shoot:
He took me up to the terrace, had me wear a red sari in the way a village girl does, and asked me to wear a green stud in my nose. To be helpful, I said let me wear a red one to match, and he said no - he was so decisive, rather brusque - I think a green one. It was stuck to my nose with glue, because my nose wasn't pierced. Someone had a large watering can, and they poured water over me. It was really a very simple affair. It took maybe half an hour.
Acting career
Sen made her film debut at the age of 16, when she played the role of Mrinmoyee in the Samapti portion of the 1961 film Teen KanyaTeen Kanya
Teen Kanya is a 1961 film directed by Satyajit Ray, and based upon short stories by Rabindranath Tagore.The title means "Three Daughters", and the film's original Indian release contained three stories. However, the international release of the film contained only two stories, missing out the second...
(Three Daughters) directed by Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
(who was a long time friend of her father's). She then studied at Kolkata's Presidency College
Presidency College, Kolkata
Presidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a unitary, state aided university, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. and one of the premier institutes of learning of liberal arts and sciences in India. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine...
.
Later in life she would work with Satyajit Ray in several of his films, including the short Pikoo (1981) where she played the role of an adulterous wife and mother.
In 1965, Sen resumed her film career in Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen is a Bengali Indian filmmaker. He was born on 14 May 1923, in the town of Faridpur, now in Bangladesh in a Hindu family. After finishing his high school there, he left home to come to Calcutta as a student and studied physics at the well-known Scottish Church College and at the...
's Akash Kusum which was later remade into a Hindi film Manzil
Manzil
Manzil is the word for one of seven parts of roughly equal length into which the Qur'an is divided for the purpose of reciting the entire text in one week.They are:# Al-Fatihah through An-Nisa' # Al-Maida through At-Tawba...
starring Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
and Moushumi Chatterjee.Later she also brought out the different nuances of a widow in Mrinal Sen's Mahaprithibi'. From then until the end of the 1970s, she worked steadily in the Bengali film industry, as leading heroine of the time. She acted in a number of Hindi films as well during this time including Imaan Dharam (1977) with Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha. Aparna Sen was equally successful in the mainstream Bengali films.Her chemistry both with Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an iconic Bengali actor from India, known among other things for his frequent collaborations with the great Bengali film director Satyajit Ray and his constant comparison with the Bengali screen idol Uttam Kumar.-Background:Soumitra graduated from...
in films such as Basanta Bilap, Baksa Badal, Chutir Fande were loved as much as her films with Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar is one of the most famous names of Indian Bengali Cinema.Born Arun Kumar Chatterjee in 1926 at Ahiritola, North Calcutta he is widely known as Uttam Kumar and Mahanayak . He remains as much of a cultural icon as he had been in his lifetime...
in Joy Jayanti, Alor Thikana etc.
In 1969, Sen appeared in The Guru
The Guru (1969 film)
The Guru is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory.-Plot synopsis:A rock star, Tom Pickle , travels to India to learn to play the sitar with the great musician Ustad Zafar Khan...
, an English-language feature by Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Their films were for the most part produced by the former, directed by the latter, and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, with the noted exception of a few films. The films were often...
. She would make two more films with Merchant-Ivory, Bombay Talkie
Bombay Talkie
Bombay Talkie is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory. Bombay Talkies was a film studio that made films in the early part of the Hindi film industry.-Plot:...
(1970), and Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures
Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures
Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions set in India, starring UK great stage actress Dame Peggy Ashcroft....
(1978).
In 2009, Sen appeared with Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress. She has won National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.She has led the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011...
and Rahul Bose
Rahul Bose
Rahul Bose is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, social activist, and rugby union player.Bose has appeared in Hindi films such as Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Jhankaar Beats. Time magazine named him "the superstar of Indian arthouse cinema" for his work in parallel cinema films like English,...
in Annirudh Roy-Chowdhary's Bengali film Antaheen
Antaheen
Antaheen is a 2009 Bengali film directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury. The film stars Radhika Apte, Rahul Bose, Mita Vashisth, Aparna Sen, Kalyan Ray and Sharmila Tagore.-Plot:...
. The film went on to win four National Film Awards
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
.
Aparna as director
In 1981, Sen made her debut as a film director with 36 Chowringhee Lane36 Chowringhee Lane
36 Chowringee Lane is a 1981 film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by Shashi Kapoor. The film was very well received upon release. It stars Jennifer Kendal in a critically acclaimed role and Debashree Roy.-Plot:...
. She also wrote its screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
. The film, about an aged Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
teacher living in Calcutta, won positive reviews from critics. For her debut feature, Sen won the Best Director award
National Film Award for Best Directing
The National Film Award for Best Direction winners are given below. Satyajit Ray has been awarded the maximum number of times in this category....
at the Indian National Film Awards. 36 Chowringhee Lane also won the Grand Prix (the Golden Eagle) at the Manila International Film Festival.
She followed up this early success with several other films, notably Paroma
Paroma
Paroma or is an award-winning Indian Bengali feature film directed by Aparna Sen.-Plot:The movie is about a 40-year-old married woman, Paroma who falls in love with Rahul , an expatriate photo-journalist working for glossy magazines who photographs her making her look glamorous...
(1984), Sati
Sati (film)
Sati is a Bengali movie released in 1989 directed by Aparna Sen.The movie featured Shabana Azmi.- Synopsis :The young Brahmin girl in this story has a disastrous horoscope. In an Indian village in 1828, this can be a real handicap. The fact that she is mute only compounds her difficulties. Her...
(1989) and Yugant
Yugant
Yugant is a 1995 Bengali movie directed by Aparna Sen. The movie featured Anjan Dutta and Rupa Ganguly.-Plot:Deepak and Anasuya are an estranged couple, now leading separate lives in Cuttack and Bombay. They meet again after 18 months of separation, at a small fishing village where they had...
(1995). These examined the feminine condition in modern-day India from different perspectives. She also starred in Unishe April
Unishe April
Unishe April is an award-winning feature film directed by Rituparno Ghosh. The film is in Bengali. It stars Aparna Sen, Debashree Roy, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Dipankar Dey. The film's music is composed by Jyotishka Dasgupta. It won two National Film Awards in 1995, including the Golden Lotus...
(1994), the film by Bengali cinema's Rituparno Ghosh
Rituparno Ghosh
Rituparno Ghosh is a Bengali film director. He has won 8 National Film Awards in India and several awards at international film festivals abroad.- Early life and background :...
.
Sen's next directorial effort Paromitar Ek Din
Paromitar Ek Din
Paromitar Ek Din is an award-winning Indian Bengali feature film directed by Aparna Sen.-Plot:This film is exploring the dual themes of friendship and loneliness. Sanaka and Paromita are mother and daughter-in-law who, despite differences in age, backgrounds and temperaments, build a strong...
(2000) was a critical hit and recalled the success of her first film. The film explored the relationship between a divorced woman (Rituparna Sengupta
Rituparna Sengupta
Rituparna Sengupta is an Indian actress. She is the leading actress in Bengali Cinema for the last decade in India, and is also currently performing in critically acclaimed Hindi Cinema.- Early life and education :...
) and her mother-in-law, played by Aparna herself. It won a number of awards on the international festival circuit.
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer is a 2002 Indian drama film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by N. Venkatesan. The film features Aparna Sen's daughter Konkona Sen Sharma as Meenakshi Iyer, a Tamil Iyer Brahmin who is a Hindu. Rahul Bose portrays the character of Raja Chowdhury, a Muslim wildlife...
(2002), was a love story set against the harsh backdrop of Hindu-Muslim sectarian violence in India. The film won a National Film Award for Sen's direction, and an acting award for Konkona Sen Sharma
Konkona Sen Sharma
Konkona Sen Sharma is an Indian actress. She is the daughter of actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen. Sharma appears primarily in Indian arthouse and independent films, and her achievements in the genre have established her as one of the leading actresses of contemporary parallel cinema.Making her...
, the director's daughter. The film won more awards at the Locarno
Locarno International Film Festival
The Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
, Hawaii and Manila film festivals.
15, Park Avenue
15, Park Avenue
15 Park Avenue is a 2005 National Film Award winning English-language Indian film directed by Aparna Sen.-Plot:30-something Mitali aka Meethi suffers from Schizophrenia and is taken care of by her much older, divorced sister Anjali aka Anu and an ageing mother...
(2005) starred her daughter and the actors Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
, Dhritiman Chaterji
Dhritiman Chaterji
Dhritiman Chaterji is an Indian actor. He began his acting career in 1970 as the protagonist of Satyajit Ray's Pratidwandi . Most of his acting work has been in the India's "parallel", or independent, cinema with filmmakers such as Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Aparna Sen, among others...
, Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman , is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood movies and is known for many successful and critically acclaimed movies from 1950's, 60's and early 70's most notably C.I.D. and Guru Dutt classics such as Pyaasa , 12 O'Clock , Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam...
, Rahul Bose
Rahul Bose
Rahul Bose is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, social activist, and rugby union player.Bose has appeared in Hindi films such as Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Jhankaar Beats. Time magazine named him "the superstar of Indian arthouse cinema" for his work in parallel cinema films like English,...
and Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an iconic Bengali actor from India, known among other things for his frequent collaborations with the great Bengali film director Satyajit Ray and his constant comparison with the Bengali screen idol Uttam Kumar.-Background:Soumitra graduated from...
. The film deals with a girl (Konkona Sen Sharma
Konkona Sen Sharma
Konkona Sen Sharma is an Indian actress. She is the daughter of actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen. Sharma appears primarily in Indian arthouse and independent films, and her achievements in the genre have established her as one of the leading actresses of contemporary parallel cinema.Making her...
) who is a schizophrenic and her relations with her elder stepsister, played by Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
.
Her next film named The Japanese Wife
The Japanese Wife
The Japanese Wife is a 2010 Indian film directed by Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen. It stars Rahul Bose, Raima Sen and Moushumi Chatterjee, and Japanese actress Chigusa Takaku in the title role...
(2010), stars Raima Sen
Raima Sen
-Early life:She is the daughter of Moon Moon Sen and the granddaughter of legendary actress Suchitra Sen. Her sister, Riya Sen, is also in the Bollywood industry. Their father Bharat Dev Varma is a member of the royal family of Tripura. Her paternal grandmother, Ila Devi, was the princess of Cooch...
, Rahul Bose
Rahul Bose
Rahul Bose is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, social activist, and rugby union player.Bose has appeared in Hindi films such as Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Jhankaar Beats. Time magazine named him "the superstar of Indian arthouse cinema" for his work in parallel cinema films like English,...
and Chigusa Takaku
Chigusa Takaku
is a Japanese actress. She has appeared in a number of Japanese TV dramas and films.-Television:* The Great Horror Family * Taiga drama Yoshitsune * Silunu Oru Kaadhal * Hanayome wa Yakudoshi! * Mop Girl...
. This film focuses on two women and is based on a short story by West Bengal author Kunal Basu
Kunal Basu
Kunal Basu is an Indian author of English fiction who has written three novels – The Opium Clerk , The Miniaturist , and Racists...
.
Aparna has made selective films and in the last three decades of her career, she has made only nine films.
In 2009, Sen announced her next Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
film Iti Mrinalini
Iti Mrinalini
Iti Mrinalini is a 2010 Indian drama film directed by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen. The director collaborates with debutant screenwriter Ranjan Ghosh to pen the story and the screenplay, a first for her. The film has been produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni of Shree Venkatesh...
, which stars Konkona Sen Sharma
Konkona Sen Sharma
Konkona Sen Sharma is an Indian actress. She is the daughter of actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen. Sharma appears primarily in Indian arthouse and independent films, and her achievements in the genre have established her as one of the leading actresses of contemporary parallel cinema.Making her...
, Aparna Sen, Rajat Kapoor
Rajat Kapoor
Rajat Kapoor is an Indian actor, writer and director born in 1961.Kapoor was born in Delhi, India. As a teenager he would watch films with his family and decided to become a filmmaker at the age of 14. He mainly focused on acting at first...
, Koushik Sen
Koushik Sen
Koushik Sen is a prominent Indian TV, Bengali film and Bengali theatre and stage Actor.He is an accomplished actor both on stage and in film. He won the prestigious BFJA awards for best supporting actor for his performance in the Mrinal Sen directed film Aamar Bhuvan.-Early life:He studied at the...
, and Priyanshu Chatterjee
Priyanshu Chatterjee
Priyanshu Chatterjee . who hails from Delhi, is an Indian model and actor.-Personal life:Priyanshu is a commerce graduate from Delhi University. Whilst doing an internship to become a chartered accountant, he took up modelling. He modeled for five years, working on projects such as Digjam's Print...
. Sen's last Bengali film was Paromitar Ek Din
Paromitar Ek Din
Paromitar Ek Din is an award-winning Indian Bengali feature film directed by Aparna Sen.-Plot:This film is exploring the dual themes of friendship and loneliness. Sanaka and Paromita are mother and daughter-in-law who, despite differences in age, backgrounds and temperaments, build a strong...
(2000). First-time screenwriter Ranjan Ghosh
Ranjan Ghosh
Ranjan K Ghosh is an Indian-Bengali film-writer from the Film Industry of Maharashtra, Mumbai and West Bengal, Kolkata. Based in Mumbai, Ghosh is the first and the only screenwriter, acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen has collaborated with so far in her illustrious career.-Early life:Brought...
has co-authored Iti Mrinalini
Iti Mrinalini
Iti Mrinalini is a 2010 Indian drama film directed by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen. The director collaborates with debutant screenwriter Ranjan Ghosh to pen the story and the screenplay, a first for her. The film has been produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni of Shree Venkatesh...
. This was the first time that Aparna Sen collaborated with any film writer or became attached to the curriculum of a film institute. The screenplay of Iti Mrinalini
Iti Mrinalini
Iti Mrinalini is a 2010 Indian drama film directed by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen. The director collaborates with debutant screenwriter Ranjan Ghosh to pen the story and the screenplay, a first for her. The film has been produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni of Shree Venkatesh...
was an assignment in the Screenwriting syllabus at the Mumbai-based film school Whistling Woods International. It was also a major first in Indian screenwriting whence any screenplay from any Indian film institute was actually filmed. The film is awaiting release on July 29, 2011.
Personal life
Sen has been married three times. Her first marriage, to Sanjay Sen, was when she was quite young. Her second husband was the science writer and journalist, Mukul Sharma. They later divorced amicably. Sen is presently married to Kalyan Ray, an author and professor of English who teaches at County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey, in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She has two daughters, Kamalini and Konkona
Konkona Sen Sharma
Konkona Sen Sharma is an Indian actress. She is the daughter of actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen. Sharma appears primarily in Indian arthouse and independent films, and her achievements in the genre have established her as one of the leading actresses of contemporary parallel cinema.Making her...
—who is also an actress—and two grandchildren.
Other achievements
In 2008, Sen was elected into the International Jury of the Asia Pacific Screen AwardsAsia Pacific Screen Awards
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards is an international cultural initiative of the State Government of Queensland, Australia, through Events Queensland, to honour and promote the films, actors, directors, and cultures of Asia-Pacific to a global audience and to realise the objectives of UNESCO to...
. The highly credentialed Jury, headed by a president of international distinction, determine winners from all nominations in each award category.
From 1986 to 2005, Sen was editor of the fortnightly Sananda
Sananda
Sananda is a Bengali magazine published by Ananda Publishers from Kolkata, India. The magazine is a women's magazine. The periodocal is usually published on 15th and 30th of every month....
, a Bengali women's magazine (published by the Ananda Bazar Patrika group) that enjoys equal popularity in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. From November 2005 to December 2006, she was associated with the Bengali 24x7 infotainment channel Kolkata TV
Kolkata TV
Kolkata TV is a 24-hour Bengali news channel launched by SST Media in 2006. Now owned by Associated Broadcasting Company Limited which had purchased 86% stake in Kolkata TV. The channel is now a part of TV9 network of channels. It is being run by its 171 employees. The headquartered of the channel...
as Creative Director.
In 1986, the then-President of India bestowed the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
to Sen in recognition of her contribution to Indian cinema. Since then, she has received several lifetime achievement awards, and served on juries at film festivals around the world.
Actress
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Mejo Bou | ||
| 1961 | Teen Kanya Teen Kanya Teen Kanya is a 1961 film directed by Satyajit Ray, and based upon short stories by Rabindranath Tagore.The title means "Three Daughters", and the film's original Indian release contained three stories. However, the international release of the film contained only two stories, missing out the second... |
Mrinmoyee | "Samapti" segment |
| 1965 | Akash Kusum Akash Kusum Akash Kusum was a 1965 Bengali film directed by noted Indian art film director Mrinal Sen.-Plot:It is the story of the longings of a middle class executive to rise in stature and greater social acceptability. The young man still trying to find a place in the corporate world puts up an innocent... |
Monica | |
| 1968 | Hangsa-Mithun | ||
| 1969 | Vishwas | ||
| The Guru The Guru (1969 film) The Guru is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory.-Plot synopsis:A rock star, Tom Pickle , travels to India to learn to play the sitar with the great musician Ustad Zafar Khan... |
Ghazala | ||
| Aparachita | Sunita | ||
| 1970 | Baksa Badal | Minu | |
| Aranyer Din Ratri Aranyer Din Ratri Aranyer Din Ratri , is an Indian Bengali film released in 1970 and directed by Satyajit Ray. It is based upon the Bengali novel of the same name by Sunil Gangopadhyay. It was one of the earliest films to employ the literary technique of the carnivalesque... |
Hari's former lover | ||
| Kalankita Nayak | |||
| Bombay Talkie Bombay Talkie Bombay Talkie is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory. Bombay Talkies was a film studio that made films in the early part of the Hindi film industry.-Plot:... |
Mala | ||
| 1971 | Khunjey Berai | Raja | |
| 1973 | Sonar Khancha | ||
| Kaya Hiner Kahini | |||
| Basanata Bilap | |||
| Rater Rajanigandra | |||
| 1974 | Jadu Bansha | ||
| Asati | |||
| Alor Thikana | |||
| Sagina Sagina (film) Sagina is a 1974 Hindi movie. Produced by the Late Shri J.K. Kapur and directed by Tapan Sinha, the film stars Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, Aparna Sen and Om Prakash. It was a remake of a Bengali version called Sagina Mahato which was released in 1970 with the same lead pair in the cast... |
Secretary Vishaka Devi | ||
| 1975 | Chhutir Phande | ||
| Raag Anurag | |||
| Nishimrigaya | |||
| 1976 | Jana Aranya Jana Aranya Jana Aranya , is a 1976 Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray, based on the novel of the same name by Mani Shankar Mukherjee, and is last in the series of films by Ray, known as Calcutta trilogy, the previous two being, Pratidwandi and Seemabaddha .-Plot:The film portrays the hopelessness of... |
Somnath's ex-girlfriend | |
| Ajasra Dhanyabad | |||
| Nidhiram Sardar | |||
| 1977 | Immaan Dharam Immaan Dharam Immaan Dharam is a 1977 Hindi film. Written by Javed Akhtar, produced by Premji, it is directed by Desh Mukherjee. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha... |
Shyamlee | |
| Kotwal Saab Kotwal Saab Kotwal Saab is a 1977 Bollywood action film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.-Cast:*Shatrughan Sinha ... DSP / Inspector Bharat Pratap Sinha*Aparna Sen ... Prabha B. Sharma*Sudhir... Mahesh*Raza Murad ... Inspector Ved... |
|||
| Proxy | |||
| 1979 | Naukadubi | Kamala | |
| 1981 | Thee Tamil starring Rajinikanth & Suman remake of Deewar Deewar Deewaar, or Deewar , is a 1975 Indian drama directed by Yash Chopra, written by Salim-Javed, and starring Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor... |
Anita | |
| 1982 | Amrita Kumbher Sandhane Amrita Kumbher Sandhane Amrita Kumbher Sandhane is a 1982 Bengali film directed by Dilip Roy. It is based on a story by “Kalkut”, pseudonym of Samaresh Basu... |
||
| 1983 | Bishabriksha | Suryamukhi | |
| Abhinoy Noy Abhinoy Noy Abhinoy Noy is a 1983 Indian Bengali language romance film directed by Archan Chakraborty.-Cast:* Aparna Sen* Anup Kumar* Samit Bhanja* Santu Mukhopadhyay* Dilip Ray* Sambhu Bhattachayra* Alpana Goswami* Sumitra Mukhopadhyay* Kumkum Bhattacharya... |
|||
| Arpita | |||
| Indira | |||
| 1984 | Paroma Paroma Paroma or is an award-winning Indian Bengali feature film directed by Aparna Sen.-Plot:The movie is about a 40-year-old married woman, Paroma who falls in love with Rahul , an expatriate photo-journalist working for glossy magazines who photographs her making her look glamorous... |
||
| 1985 | Neelkantha | ||
| 1986 | Shyam Saheb | ||
| 1987 | Debika | ||
| 1989 | Kari Diye Kinlam | ||
| Ek Din Achanak Ek Din Achanak Ek Din Achanak is a 1989 art film directed by Mrinal Sen, based on a Bengali novel, Beej by Ramapada Chowdhury..- Synopsis :... |
Professor's student | ||
| Jar Jey Priyo | |||
| 1992 | Shet Patharer Thala | Bandana | |
| Mahaprithivi | Daughter-in-Law | ||
| 1994 | Unishe April Unishe April Unishe April is an award-winning feature film directed by Rituparno Ghosh. The film is in Bengali. It stars Aparna Sen, Debashree Roy, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Dipankar Dey. The film's music is composed by Jyotishka Dasgupta. It won two National Film Awards in 1995, including the Golden Lotus... |
Sarojini | |
| Amodini | |||
| 2000 | Paromitar Ek Din Paromitar Ek Din Paromitar Ek Din is an award-winning Indian Bengali feature film directed by Aparna Sen.-Plot:This film is exploring the dual themes of friendship and loneliness. Sanaka and Paromita are mother and daughter-in-law who, despite differences in age, backgrounds and temperaments, build a strong... |
Sanaka | |
| Ghaath | Suman Pandey | ||
| 2002 | Titli Titli Titli is a 2002 Bengali film by Rituporno Ghosh, starring Konkona Sen Sharma, Aparna Sen, Mithun Chakraborty.... |
Urmila | |
| 2009 | Antaheen Antaheen Antaheen is a 2009 Bengali film directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury. The film stars Radhika Apte, Rahul Bose, Mita Vashisth, Aparna Sen, Kalyan Ray and Sharmila Tagore.-Plot:... |
Paromita | |
| 2011 | Iti Mrinalini Iti Mrinalini Iti Mrinalini is a 2010 Indian drama film directed by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen. The director collaborates with debutant screenwriter Ranjan Ghosh to pen the story and the screenplay, a first for her. The film has been produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni of Shree Venkatesh... |
Old Mrinalini | |
Writer/director
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 36 Chowringhee Lane 36 Chowringhee Lane 36 Chowringee Lane is a 1981 film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by Shashi Kapoor. The film was very well received upon release. It stars Jennifer Kendal in a critically acclaimed role and Debashree Roy.-Plot:... |
Won, National Film Award for Best Directing National Film Award for Best Directing The National Film Award for Best Direction winners are given below. Satyajit Ray has been awarded the maximum number of times in this category.... Won, National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi awards the best regional film in Hindi language. Initially the award was known as the President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi. The winners in this category are:... |
| 1984 | Paroma Paroma Paroma or is an award-winning Indian Bengali feature film directed by Aparna Sen.-Plot:The movie is about a 40-year-old married woman, Paroma who falls in love with Rahul , an expatriate photo-journalist working for glossy magazines who photographs her making her look glamorous... |
WON National Film Awards 1986 |
| 1989 | Sati Sati (film) Sati is a Bengali movie released in 1989 directed by Aparna Sen.The movie featured Shabana Azmi.- Synopsis :The young Brahmin girl in this story has a disastrous horoscope. In an Indian village in 1828, this can be a real handicap. The fact that she is mute only compounds her difficulties. Her... |
|
| 1995 | Yugant Yugant Yugant is a 1995 Bengali movie directed by Aparna Sen. The movie featured Anjan Dutta and Rupa Ganguly.-Plot:Deepak and Anasuya are an estranged couple, now leading separate lives in Cuttack and Bombay. They meet again after 18 months of separation, at a small fishing village where they had... |
Won, National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali The Indian National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali winners:... |
| 2000 | Paromitar Ek Din Paromitar Ek Din Paromitar Ek Din is an award-winning Indian Bengali feature film directed by Aparna Sen.-Plot:This film is exploring the dual themes of friendship and loneliness. Sanaka and Paromita are mother and daughter-in-law who, despite differences in age, backgrounds and temperaments, build a strong... |
Won, National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali The Indian National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali winners:... |
| 2001 | Mr. and Mrs. Iyer Mr. and Mrs. Iyer Mr. and Mrs. Iyer is a 2002 Indian drama film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by N. Venkatesan. The film features Aparna Sen's daughter Konkona Sen Sharma as Meenakshi Iyer, a Tamil Iyer Brahmin who is a Hindu. Rahul Bose portrays the character of Raja Chowdhury, a Muslim wildlife... |
Won, National Film Award for Best Directing National Film Award for Best Directing The National Film Award for Best Direction winners are given below. Satyajit Ray has been awarded the maximum number of times in this category.... Won, Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration is a National Film Award - Silver Lotus, given to an Indian feature film director, for the best film relating to National Integration in India.The winners of the Award:-References:... Won, National Film Award for Best Screenplay National Film Award for Best Screenplay The National Film Award for Best Screenplay winners:-References:... |
| 2005 | 15 Park Avenue | Won, National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English winners:-References:*... |
| 2010 | The Japanese Wife The Japanese Wife The Japanese Wife is a 2010 Indian film directed by Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen. It stars Rahul Bose, Raima Sen and Moushumi Chatterjee, and Japanese actress Chigusa Takaku in the title role... |
Released 9 April 2010 |
| 2011 | Iti Mrinalini Iti Mrinalini Iti Mrinalini is a 2010 Indian drama film directed by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen. The director collaborates with debutant screenwriter Ranjan Ghosh to pen the story and the screenplay, a first for her. The film has been produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni of Shree Venkatesh... |
Released 29th July 2011 |
Further Readings
- Parama and other outsiders: the cinema of Aparna Sen, by Shoma A. Chatterji. Parumita Publications, 2002. ISBN 8187867035.
- Aparna Sen calls the shots (Women in Indian film), by Rajashri Dasgupta. Zubaan, 2009.