By Jagmohan Singh Barhok
On Her Birth Anniversary
One of the finest and popular Bengali female directors, Aparna Sen, deserves praise for her contribution to films, especially Bengali language films. Known for her directorial venture “36 Chowringhee Lane” (1981) featuring Jennifer Kendal, Debashree Roy, Dhritiman Chatterjee & Geoffrey Kendal. The film won international acclaim thereby adding to her popularity worldwide. It was produced by actor Shashi Kapoor.
Her daughter Konkana Sen is also an equally talented actress & she has proved her versatality in many films. She is daughter of Sen’s second of three husbands- Mukul Sharma .She features in her most film with Rahul Bose. Konkona Sen Sharma also starred in “The Rapist”(2021) directed by Aprana Sen also starring also Arjun Rampal.
Aparna Sen’s popularity can be gauged by the fact that she has been bestowed with many dozen national & international awards, including Six National Awards & 5 Filmfare (East) Awards. Her film “36 Chowringhee Lane” won National Award for Best Feature Film .It also won National Award for Best Direction. She is believed to be the first lady who ventured to make films in English language. After “36 Chowringhee Lane”, she did two other films- “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer” and “15 Park Avenue”.
“36 Chowringhee Lane” symbolizes the city life of Kolkata .There are many old restaurants, hotels & gift shops. It is believed to be the best shopping place, and a must for every visitor to the city. In Bangalore a restaurant is named 36 Chowringhee Lane. A fast food chain in Delhi is known as 34 Chowringhee Lane, at Janakpuri. It started serving fast food in 2011.
