EXCLUSIVE | Konkona Sen Sharma on Netflix ‘Accused’: 'Gender of your boss should not matter in an ideal world, but...'

Konkona Sen Sharma has been renowned for her terrific artistic capabilities and for shaping beautifully flawed women characters in Indian cinema. In a conversation with Firstpost, she talks about her film ‘Accused’ to be released tomorrow, working on queer characters, women’s roles changing in cinema and more.

She says, “I have to make the best out of what is offered to me. If it is a well written character with fleshed out details, it always makes it easier. And if not, I try to bring something of myself to it. It makes it real for yourself and then for the people watching it.”

Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, Director, Original Films, Netflix India rightly adds, “We were drawn to Accused because it takes a familiar and deeply resonant idea – an accusation – and approaches it from an unusual and courageous lens. Instead of simplifying innocence and guilt, it sits with the discomfort of the process and, as an audience, asks us to examine how quickly we form judgments. With a story like this, it was important to work with someone like Anubhuti Kashyap, who brought extraordinary craft, honesty, and emotional precision to the storytelling."

Edited excerpts of Konkona Sen Sharma’s  interview:

Is it difficult to deal with women bosses?

Not for me (laughs)

Women bosses are accused as the Netflix film ‘ Accused’ suggests. Have you faced any situation when your subordinates have turned against you and what was the preparation for the role like?

Luckily, I have never faced that. I’ve largely been an actor, it’s not like I’m the boss of anything. I have not personally faced anything like that. But women prefer women bosses, though in an ideal world, the gender of your boss should not matter. But this particular time, we are dealing with an unusual case. It is not an everyday kind of a situation where a woman is accused of sexual misconduct, or there are allegations of sexual misconduct against her.

And this is a woman who is in the position of authority and power who is supposedly abusing it. This happens right in the beginning of the film, this is the basic premise of the film. The film is trying to examine and explore what happens to that person, what happens to the relationship and family of that person. The film is examining power, indifference, and fears.

You have played a LGBTQ character in Geeli Puchi also. How do you go about the complexities of the relationship?

With a well written character, there are always some specificities that make them stand apart and make them real. I don’t think it has to do anything with their sexual orientation. Because I have also played so many straight characters, but nobody has ever asked how these characters were different from one another. It depends on how it’s written and what you are trying to portray. The attempt is to portray a complex, nuanced human being with some depth. Everybody has different sexual orientations or many other complexities. We do not have to focus on her coming from a queer community. Of course, that happens to be the fundamental identity of hers. But that’s not her only identity. There are many other identities of hers.

Women’s roles in cinema are changing for the better. How do you make the choices for your characters?

I have to make the best out of what is offered to me. If it is a well written character with fleshed out details, it always makes it easier. And if not, I try to bring something of myself to it. It makes it real for yourself and then for the people watching it.

How much can you relate to your character in ‘Accused’?

Very few I would say. But I enjoyed playing many things about her. There are some toxic things in a man woman relationship that we have brought into the equation of Meera and Geetika, which I really enjoyed. I never had a chance to play a toxic man. Here through my character of Dr Geetika, I play a toxic man in a relationship.

WATCH the full interview here: