Bollywood actress Konkona Sen opens up on playing a domestic abuse survivor in the new season of ‘Mumbai Diaries’
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00:00To everyone else and all women, I would like to say that you have to be financially independent.
00:05You have to have financial freedom because only then you have choices, then you have
00:09real choices.
00:10Otherwise, you're stuck in a bad situation because you can't do something else.
00:13Then it's a mess, you know, and you're not living your life to the fullest or the way
00:17that you would like to.
00:19So you have to be financially independent, no matter how good your family, your husband,
00:23whatever it is.
00:24You can't be living off your parents' money.
00:25You can't be living off your husband's money.
00:27You have to have your own money.
00:29Thank you, Kunkkana, for entertaining us firstly.
00:34It's lovely to watch a Hindi language medical series.
00:37I'm still a fan of Grey's Anatomy.
00:39Do not judge me.
00:40I think I'm the, you know, I love House.
00:43I love House.
00:44House is so good.
00:45House is another, what do I say, I unwind with it.
00:49I almost feel like everything you can say is lupus.
00:52Actually that's the only thing.
00:53Yeah, I'm like, do I have lupus?
00:57That's the only thing.
00:58How about you?
00:59Are you also a sucker for medical dramas?
01:01And are you happy that something like Mumbai Diaries is in our, you know, watch list now?
01:09You know, I have to say it's not like I love all medical dramas or I've been following
01:13all the medical dramas.
01:14I love House, but I think it's mainly for Hugh Laurie because I think he's so attractive.
01:20I feel like our show, Mumbai Diaries, firstly, there are hardly any medical dramas.
01:25And Mumbai Diaries is really special because it's a, I mean, I hate this word special,
01:30but I think what is unique about Mumbai Diaries is that it's an emotional medical thriller.
01:36Because invariably it's like some crisis has happened and in 24 hours we have to sort it,
01:41you know, so that always leads to a very, like a very tense kind of a watch, which is
01:47great fun, of course, to binge.
01:50And it's a survival thriller, like you said, the first season, especially, I mean, I was,
01:55you know, I sat up all night to watch it.
01:56I think that's also a good sign for a TV series.
02:00I mean, I was so happy that there were so many episodes, honestly, eight episodes are
02:04not enough.
02:05I was like, why?
02:06I had withdrawal symptoms after.
02:07Some people have said they preferred season two.
02:10So I'm absolutely thrilled.
02:12Okay.
02:13No, no.
02:14Are you reading the reviews?
02:15What are like, you know, your Chitra Das, are you happy?
02:18Because you had more screen time this year, this season.
02:20So perhaps.
02:21I am really happy.
02:23I loved the first season as well, that, that the climax with the, with the terrorists,
02:31the way Ahaan saves Chitra, her singing and, you know, and we just got glimpses into her
02:36past.
02:37That's true.
02:38In this season, now we're just building layers because all of us are returning to our characters.
02:41See, I've also never done a sequel before, but for the first time one is returning to
02:45a character, you're not building from scratch.
02:48You have to establish this as the character.
02:50So one is building layers to it, which is a very nice, it's, I mean, you could really
02:55get into the backstory.
02:57In the first season, we've only seen that, you know, she has some panic attacks.
03:00She has these bouts of anxiety sometimes, but we don't really get into it and we don't
03:04know why.
03:06In this season, I just love the fact, firstly, that they've taken up this issue of domestic
03:11violence.
03:12True.
03:13So hats off to Nikhil and Emma for doing that, because I feel that this is a very prevalent
03:18thing.
03:19Firstly, domestic violence itself is very prevalent and it's across sectors of society.
03:25And even if it's not physical violence, very often there's emotional abuse or financial
03:30manipulation.
03:31This is a very common thing.
03:33Yes.
03:34So I'm glad that they've taken it up.
03:35And I just always, you know, I always say that the most important thing is for women
03:38to be financially independent because they have choices in life.
03:44True, true.
03:45It's always about economics at the end of the day, right?
03:47Even I think if you're financially independent, you can walk out of a toxic relationship.
03:51Yeah.
03:52It's abusive.
03:53It all boils down to that.
03:54I'm always surprised at the number of intelligent, capable, empowered women who are in toxic
04:00relationships.
04:01There are many, you know, I've seen with my friends also.
04:04And it's something which, I mean, it's okay.
04:10I don't know why it's so common.
04:12It's unfortunate.
04:13But I just wanted to say that people should always, women should always have the option,
04:18even if they don't have family support.
04:20If you have your own financial freedom, then you can start your life afresh even.
04:25Right.
04:26Was it traumatic for you to play this role though?
04:29Because did you internalize the stress?
04:31Because I remember, was it Nicole Kidman who said, after, what was that, small little lies?
04:37Big little lies.
04:38Big little lies.
04:39Yeah, that's it.
04:40Big little lies.
04:41And then you had to smash plates because she played again, a domestic abuse victim, but
04:44theirs was complex as well.
04:47Did you have such a process?
04:48Did you go back home and what did you smash?
04:50I didn't.
04:51Thankfully I didn't have to smash anything.
04:56I think that, you know, in all these, I've been acting for two decades plus.
05:06So one has done a lot of roles which have a certain emotional depth or, you know, an
05:11intensity of emotion that one has to portray.
05:13So I don't think that, you know, it's, it's not like that for me, when I come home also
05:18I'm carrying that trauma.
05:20It's not happening to me.
05:21Luckily, thank God.
05:22I hope it doesn't.
05:23But of course, in that time, in that moment, one is in that, one is believing it, you know.
05:29That is of course the work that you have to put in with your prep, with the way you prep
05:33for the scene, et cetera.
05:35But it's not like it stays with me, maybe for a few moments after the scene is over,
05:40but it's not like, see some traces of characters can remain subconsciously.
05:45Some experiences that you've had, you know, some layers may remain, but those are largely
05:50subconscious things, I think.
05:52Okay.
05:53But you kind of, you know how to demarcate.
05:55Once you're offset, you know, like that's a different life.
05:58I'm back to my son, et cetera.
06:00You have that system.
06:01Yeah, I do.
06:02And I also say, would say that it's easy to do that only because a film set is such,
06:07actually, it's such an artificial environment.
06:09It is a chaotic environment, a film set, because there are minimum 100, 150 people.
06:16And the reality you're creating is only in your head and maybe with your co-actor.
06:20Because saamne hi toh camera hai, itte saare crew hai.
06:24So actually the difficulty is to be genuine.
06:30So I actually love it when, you know, some of my own self or my own emotions leak into
06:36the characters.
06:37Then I feel like it's a genuine moment.
06:39Right.
06:40Right.
06:41I'm sorry.
06:42What were you saying?
06:43Otherwise, one is, you know, performing.
06:44Yeah.
06:45Yeah.
06:46It's very formative.
06:47You almost say, you can't fake it as actors.
06:49Somebody was telling me, you know, people sense it.
06:51In your case also with this character, where you also were keenly aware that, you know,
06:55especially the scene where you're very vulnerable with your boss saying that I've isolated
06:59myself from my parents.
07:00I've cut off from the rest of the world.
07:02That is a very powerful scene where you just said, you know, living this kind of a life
07:07that is so lonely.
07:09You haven't been to the movie halls.
07:12That is really like sad.
07:13But was that a touch, you know, one of the scenes where you thought, you know, perhaps
07:17a bit of you leaked into that scene?
07:19See, it's a very beautifully written scene also.
07:23It's subtly and beautifully written with a lot of nuance because actually that character
07:26Subramanian already knows, you know, he's the one who kind of says, you are, we need
07:31you in the hospital.
07:32You're the backbone of the hospital.
07:34You know, for that scene, I was concentrating not so much on, I have been beaten and I was
07:41concentrating on panic.
07:42When you're panicking, then, you know, you're not thinking straight.
07:46Okay, should I go?
07:47Okay, should I stay?
07:48Where's my umbrella?
07:49You know, to get into that zone of not thinking straight.
07:53I was actually concentrating more on that aspect of it.
07:56I think.
07:57Okay.
07:58It's hard to say because these are things which are not, it's not like I planned it
08:02out or plotted.
08:03Yes, I will do this.
08:04I will think this.
08:05I will speak this way.
08:06I don't.
08:07It's not like I plan it out, you know, it's just kind of sometimes with a certain emotion,
08:12like, you know, this panic or not thinking clearly, you know, it informs your body and
08:17your breath, you know.
08:18So it's like, you know, you're restless, you know, your eyes are not focusing on one
08:22thing.
08:23Yes.
08:24Or one thing, you know.
08:25So if you're constantly like this, your breath is shallow, you know, so those kind of things
08:30are actually quite useful.
08:32Right.
08:33To that zone.
08:34No, no.
08:35In this series, I feel you look eternally trapped, like there's no exit.
08:39That's one of the vibes I got.
08:42Perhaps do you, did you want that tension to build?
08:45Like, you know, this is one person and there's so many women like Chitra, like they don't
08:49have an exit option, really.
08:51Nothing works out for them.
08:53And this is their way of living.
08:55See, this I have to credit Nikhil, because he has created that atmosphere, because you
08:59can't do it alone as a performer.
09:02If you're, I don't know, if your background music, for example, is distracting or it's
09:09too sweet, sweet, you know, or your co-actors are not in it, or the lighting is like so
09:14fake or whatever, the sets are so, you know, so it's not something you're doing alone.
09:18To create that sense of claustrophobia or that intensity, it's many different elements
09:23coming together to help your performance, actually, you know, you know, in towards the
09:30end where, you know, you have that red light flashing, that adds so much to the sense of
09:34drama, or when the power has gone off in the hotel and you have like candles or torch lights
09:40coming and going, all of that, you know, adds to the mood, which helps you out a bit.
09:45Right.
09:46Right.
09:47I'm just so happy that we are having flawed characters on screen.
09:51Aren't you, Konkana, like, even if you commit a murder, how to get away with murder also
09:56works, you know, I'm so happy.
09:58I know it sounds morbid, but I'm just saying, finally, it's not about great people, like
10:02you're not like this.
10:03I mean, the character in Wake Up, you were so lovely, but at the end of the day, you
10:08were just, I thought, you know, handling a man-child, I mean, seriously, you deserve
10:13so much better, your character, I mean, I meant, finally a role where you're like, you
10:18know what, I'm flawed, I have my own demons, is it good to play real characters, like,
10:25not everybody, not every woman is an urcher, you know, that we have moved away from that.
10:29Not every woman, see, the thing is, I don't only want to play very strong women.
10:33I don't think like all women are continuously strong.
10:37I mean, we go through cycles and everybody's not equally strong.
10:41Some may be stronger than others.
10:42Some may have no choice, you know, except to be strong.
10:45So I don't always like playing very strong woman of substance, go-getter and, you know,
10:52like, it's not like that draws me.
10:54Yeah, that is also an interesting character if it's well written.
10:57But I love that Chitra's vulnerability.
10:59I love that she has no faith in herself.
11:02She only has no faith in herself.
11:03She always comes through, whatever happens, she comes in first season, second season,
11:07always she does what she's supposed to do.
11:09She manages ultimately to achieve what she wants to achieve.
11:12But she has zero faith in herself to begin with.
11:14I relate to it, actually.
11:16I think many people will relate to it.
11:18Yeah, yeah.
11:19You're almost...
11:20I'm sorry, what's that?
11:21Because we all sometimes feel ki nahi hoga na mujhse.
11:25Yeah, right, right.
11:27You're like Dr. Cuddy in House without any agency.
11:31That's it.
11:32No agency.
11:33I think she's...
11:34The head, that chief...
11:35Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:36That lady with zero agency.
11:38I feel there's no sense of...
11:39She's always holding house.
11:40But with you, there's no agency.
11:41So was that liberating to play?
11:42A woman who's so vulnerable that you don't even know what you're doing half the time.
11:43And like you said, you expect others to validate your...
11:44You're not even a practicing doctor, which is sad.
11:45There's so many students who have perhaps fallen off the grid.
11:46They don't want to complete it.
11:47And you're kind of like that, Leigh.
11:48There's still hope.
11:49You can be a medical doctor.
11:50But you know, she's not like that continuously.
11:51Even though she is like that, there's still hope.
11:52There's still hope.
11:53There's still hope.
11:54But you know, she's not like that continuously.
11:55Even though she is like that, there's still hope.
11:56There's still hope.
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11:58There's still hope.
11:59There's still hope.
12:01And you're kind of like that, Leigh.
12:02There's still hope.
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17:50Thank you so much for entertaining us!
17:52Is there anything you want to add – our 15 minutes are up – anything?
17:58No, I'm happy that people are connecting to Chitra.
18:01I'm happy to play a character like Chitra.
18:03I'm so glad that Nikhil has come up with this kind of a character that is so beautiful,
18:10so relatable, not always very typically strong, where her vulnerability is her strength.
18:15you know. It's an unusual thing to show and I'm very grateful to have this role.