Konkona and Shabana at 15 Park Avenue

Behind the scenes trivia

• The film is a tribute to an ailing family friend of the director. Says Sen, "I've seen schizophrenia from close quarters as a close family friend has been suffering from it. I've always been interested in challenged people. My earlier Bengali films Paroma and Paromitar Ek Din had characters suffering from schizophrenia and celebral palsy."

• The title 15 Park Avenue is a metaphor for happiness that the protagonist tries to seek. Says Sen, "We all survive in our own delusional world. It's very difficult to say who's mad. Just because we can't perceive the world such patients live in, we cannot dismiss it."

• Konkona Senssharma claims this has been her most unusual and radically different character so far. She says, "The character is far-reaching. It stretches beyond the parameters of reality."

• Shabana Azmi reveals that the character she plays is similar to the director Sen in real-life. She coaxed good friend, Sen to give her a part in the film. Says Azmi, "Rina (as she fondly calls Aparna) told me that I have to learn driving and become more tech savvy as my portrayal of an urban contemporary woman in the film demanded it. But I had the courage to turn up on the sets without learning anything; and how she yelled at me for conning her."

• The all-women cast and crew ganged up and bullied the men. Says Azmi, "We were a plethora of women on the sets including the assistant directors and we all got along so well. The men didn't dare to snoop around. In fact, Rahul thought that I was an empress. But I would tell him I'm a little, timid and meek girl who cannot bully men."

• The leading ladies Azmi and Sharma were at loggerheads all the time. Says Azmi, "We would have disagreements all the time as our individual tastes are vastly different.

Konkona is very argumentative and will hardly give in. Forget about taking our suggestions, today's youngsters are so confident." Adds Konkona, "We had differences but I have tremendous respect for her. In fact, during the shots she'll remind about the emotions I needed to express."