Konkona's Mixed Doubles

Your next film, Mixed Doubles, is a light sex comedy…
I completely object to the term, sex comedy. Mixed Doubles isn't just about sex, much as Mr and Mrs Iyer wasn't only about communal issues, and 15 Park Avenue wasn't only about schizophrenia. If it were a sex comedy, I wouldn't be in it.

But a sex comedy doesn't have to be dirty.
To begin with, I don't have any problems with dirty movies. They should be made, if people want to see them. But I don't think I'd be comfortable doing one. To me, Mixed Doubles is a marital film. What works for it is that it doesn't take itself seriously. And yet, there's a lot of dignity in it.

How did you react when the director narrated the concept of wife-swapping?
I didn't get nervous, I've too much respect for the director, Rajat Kapoor. I had heard so much about his plays. I had seen him in Monsoon Wedding, and his first film as a director, Raghu Romeo. I didn't think he'd make something sleazy or banal.

And even if he did, I couldn't imagine why he'd come to me with it. And it isn't as if I trusted Rajat blindly — I read the script. I had a couple of reservations, but it was a sweet and funny film. I was concerned that the theme of a marriage gone sour may not come through, but it did. Many marriages do go stale.

Is that what attracted you to the script?
The fact that it says women also have a libido, that women also want to have sex. Very few films address themselves to a women's sexual appetite.

Do you think audiences will identify with the theme?
I hope they do. People who've watched it have liked it. I don't think it's a cinematic breakthrough; I'd be lucky to have one or two of those in my career. I was so comfortable doing the film. It was made on a shoestring budget, so I knew I wasn't doing it for money. I just wanted to work with this crew and cast, including Naseer, in that little cameo as my father.

How was it shooting with Ranvir Shourey?
I've worked with new actors before. Rajat and Ranvir knew each other well from before. So initially, I was the odd one out. We shot on two locations, and both were Rajat's homes. Everyone was a friend on the set. Koel Purie and I were the two outsiders. It was fun to work with her; I get along quite well with her. It didn't seem like a movie set. No one had her own hairdresser or van. It was a very intimate atmosphere.

Why weren't you at the film's premiere?
It broke my heart not to be there. It's my little chhotu film; it needed me to be there.

What's next?
After this is Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali fil, Doshor. My next Hindi release should be Deadline, with Irrfan Khan. It's my first Hindi thriller, so I'm quite thrilled!