The film-maker recalls her near fatal experience while shooting The Japanese Wife and reveals that her next film will be a comedy in conversation with Rashmi Hemrajani

Yes, you read it right. Aparna Sen, famous for making films with social messages, is planning a comedy next. “It is in a very nascent stage as of now. But my next movie will be a laugh riot. It features a ghost and is based on a Bengali writer’s story titled The Jewellery Box,” is all that she
is willing to let on at the moment.  

However, she is glad to talk about her upcoming film The Japanese Wife. “It took me one year to shoot the movie because of the changing seasons. For instance, last year we shot the cherry blossoms in Japan, and the Sundarbans in the monsoons.”

Of course, the highlight of the shoot was a near death experience for the cast and crew. “We almost got killed there. There were two bamboo boats — one that had the artistes and the camera, while the other was filled with technicians. We were approaching the shore and because both the boats were together we had to take a longer turn—like an arc. At the shore there were mangroves and they hit us. A technician’s T-shirt got torn. However, one of them was robust and huge; he pushed the mangroves aside and shouted, ‘Didi be careful’. That was quite scary and dramatic!” she recounts.

What about making a Bollywood movie? “I have no ambition to make a Bollywood blockbuster. There are a lot of people in the industry who are doing a good job. It is a lot easier to drive producers when there are big stars associated with the project. But I am happy that there is an audience for the kind of movies I make. Fortunately, funding has never been a problem for me,” she signs off.