I hated the pressure of looking a certain way: Konkona Sen Sharma

Actor Konkona Sen Sharma says it wasn’t easy for her to conform to set norms in Bollywood; the stress made her cry very often.

It may surprise Konkona Sen Sharma’s fans that the actor who stunned everyone with her flawless performances in films such as Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Page 3 and Omkara didn’t enjoy acting at all in the beginning. It took her a while to adjust.

Actor Konkona Sen Sharma says that it was only after three films that she became comfortable with acting. (Ronjoy Gogoi/Hindustan Times)

“Acting has not been a smooth sailing journey. I never wanted to be an actor. Till my third film, I didn’t imagine that I would continue acting. I didn’t like it at all. It was only after three films that I became comfortable with acting,” says Konkona, who is making her directorial debut with the film A Death In The Gunj.

Konkona recalls that while acting in a Bengali film that was a remake of a Hollywood film, she had a difficult time turning herself into the character. “I had to be thin. My hair was curly, which I never enjoyed. Your body is not your own when you are acting in a film. It becomes your character’s body. Everyone sees you like that and builds up perceptions of you that have nothing to do with you. It took me getting used to that,” says the 37-year-old actor.

After Konkona Sen Sharma had her son, she shot for Gaur Hari Dastaan, in which she played a 60- year-old woman. During that time, she had an inner awakening. “I remember driving to shoot. I could see those big lights. The makeup mirror and the lights gave me a sense of belonging and home. Along the way, I did realise how I had started to love this,” says.

Follow @htshowbiz for more