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Aparna Sen | |
|---|---|
 Sen at the 38thIKBF in 2014 | |
| Born | Aparna Dasgupta (1945-10-25)25 October 1945 (age 80) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1961–present |
| Works | Filmography |
| Spouses |
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| Children | Konkona Sen Sharma and Dona Sen |
Aparna Sen (Bengali:[ɔpoɾnaʃen]ⓘ;née Dasgupta) is an Indianfilm director,screenwriter and actress who is known for her work inBengali cinema. She has received several accolades as an actress and filmmaker, including nineNational Film Awards, sixFilmfare Awards East and thirteenBengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. For her contribution in the field of arts, theGovernment of India honoured her withPadma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian award.[1]
Sen was born in aBengali family in Kolkata. Her family originally hailed fromCox's Bazar inChittagong District (now in Bangladesh).[citation needed] Her father was the veteran critic and filmmakerChidananda Dasgupta. Her mother Supriya Dasgupta was a costume designer and earned theNational Film Award for Best Costume Design for Chidananda's directorial ventureAmodini (1994), at the age of 73. Sen is a niece of Bengali poetJibanananda Das.[2] Sen spent her childhood inHazaribagh and Kolkata and had her schooling at Modern High School for Girls,Kolkata.[3] She studied for her B.A. in English atPresidency College, but did not complete the degree.[citation needed]
Sen's foray into the world of entertainment happened when she was fifteen and was photographed byBrian Brake for the well-known photo from his 1960Monsoon series of photographs; the photo appeared on the cover ofLife.[4]
Sen made her film debut at the age of 16 when she played the role of Mrinmoyee in the Samapti portion of the 1961 filmTeen Kanya (lit. 'Three Daughters') directed bySatyajit Ray (who was a longtime friend of her father's).[citation needed] She went on to appear in up to four films made by the director including,Jana Aranya, andPikoo.
Four years after her first film, in 1965, Sen acted inAkash Kusum, aMrinal Sen film where she played the part of Monica. Sen has been an eminent part of the Bengali film industry, playing the lead in popular films likeBasanta Bilap (1973) andMemsaheb (1972) amongst others. Sen has also been a part of Hindi films such asImaan Dharam (1977),Ek Din Achanak (1989), andGhaath (2000).
In 2009, Sen appeared withSharmila Tagore andRahul Bose in Annirudh Roy-Chowdhary's Bengali filmAntaheen. The film went on to win fourNational Film Awards.[5] In 2019, Sen acted in prominent Bengali films includingBohomaan andBasu Poribar.
Aparna Sen made her debut as a writer-director with the Jennifer Kendal starrer 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981). Produced by Shashi Kapoor, the movie received immense critical acclaim and won Aparna her first National Film Award for Best Direction.In 2009, Sen announced her nextBengali filmIti Mrinalini, which starred herself,Konkona Sen Sharma,Rajat Kapoor,Kaushik Sen, andPriyanshu Chatterjee. First-time screenwriterRanjan Ghosh co-wrote the film. This was the first time that Sen collaborated with any film writer or became attached to the curriculum of a film institute. The screenplay ofIti Mrinalini was an assignment in the Screenwriting syllabus at the Mumbai-based film schoolWhistling Woods International.[6] It was also a major first in Indian screenwriting, as the first time that any screenplay from an Indian film institute was actually filmed.[7][non-primary source needed] The film was released on 29 July 2011.
In 2013, her filmGoynar Baksho (The Jewellery Box) was released depicting three generations of women and their relationship to a box of jewels. It ran to packed houses and won critical acclaim from reviewers and critics.[8] Thereafter, in 2015,Arshinagar, an adaptation ofRomeo and Juliet was released.[9]
In 2017,Sonata—an English film written and directed by Sen—was released. Adapted froma play byMahesh Elkunchwar, the film examines the life of three middle-aged unmarried friends played by Aparna Sen,Shabana Azmi andLillete Dubey.[10]
In 2021, she directed her 3rd Hindi filmThe Rapist, starring her daughter Konkona Sen Sharma andArjun Rampal. In her interview withFirstpost, she said thatThe Rapist will be a "hard-hitting drama that examines how much of society is responsible for producing rapists".[11] The film was nominated for the Kim Jiseok award at the26th Busan International Film Festival held in October 2021.[12] Her filmmaking style was highly influenced byTapan Sinha.
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Sen has served on juries at film festivals around the world. In 1989 she was a member of the jury at the16th Moscow International Film Festival.[14] In 2008, she was elected into the International Jury of theAsia Pacific Screen Awards. In 2013, she headed the jury of the second Ladakh International Film Festival.[15]
From 1986 to 2005, Sen was the editor of the fortnightlySananda, a Bengali women's magazine (published by theAnanda Bazar Patrika group) that enjoys equal popularity inWest Bengal andBangladesh. From November 2005 to December 2006, she was associated with the Bengali 24x7 infotainment channelKolkata TV as Creative Director. In 2011 she took charge as the editor of the magazineParoma launched by the Saradha Group.[16] Following theSaradha Group financial scandal,Paroma ran into trouble. It finally closed down on 14 April 2013. Sen and her editorial team launched a new magazine calledPrathama Ekhon, which was short-lived.[17]
In 1987, the then President of India,Giani Zail Singh bestowed thePadma Shri on Sen in recognition of her contribution to Indian cinema. Since then, she has received several lifetime achievement awards.[18]
