Sharmila & Aparna Sen Bong-homie at last?

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AnaShah

@Anashah

Dazzler

Posted: 18 years ago

Bong-homie at last?

Sharmila Tagore and Aparna Sen have conceded to work together. But have they settled their differences?

Subhash K Jha

Aparna Sen and Sharmila Tagore in Antaheen

Sharmila Tagore and Aparna Sen are known to be the two moody female superstars of Bengal and the twain, as they say, didn't meet... until now. Now that they've finally come together in Aniruddh Roy-Chowdhary's Antaheen, the dynamics between the two prima donnas is worth noting.

Aniruddh, whose first film Anuranan featuring Rahul Bose, Rajat Kapoor and Raima Sen was released in a dubbed Hindi version earlier this year, is at the moment shooting important scenes with Sharmila and Aparna on the 13th floor of a Kolkata high-rise.

The Antaheen director says that all is well between the two stars, and so far shooting has been smooth. "So far there has been no problem between the two. We've been shooting together for days. Both the ladies are extremely professional and helpful. I couldn't have asked for more. Imagine working with the two legendary beauties in my second film," says Aniruddh.

Sharmila and Aparna, in their heydays, were known to be fierce rivals. While Sharmila migrated to Mumbai leaving Kolkata behind for Aparna to rule, Aparna could never find a foothold in Mumbai. Her clinching bloomer was when she turned down Shakti Samanta's Araadhana, the role that proved a boon for Sharmila Tagore.

How did he manage this casting coup? It was simple, says Aniruddh, "I didn't have to do anything. I just narrated the parts that I had written for Rinkudi (Sharmila Tagore) and Reenadi (Aparna) to them. They both fell in love with their roles."

While Aparna Sen plays a TV tycoon, Sharmila has been cast as a deglamorised but very progressive single woman. Rahul Bose, who plays her nephew, says, "We live together, just me and my aunt played by Sharmilaji. Aren't I lucky? I started by working with Aparna and Sharmilaji's daughters. And now I'm working with the legendary moms. That's quite a move."

According to the director the two legendary moms are still a class apart. "I did a very important dramatic sequence with the two of them. And it was magic. Technically they were together unlike in Satyajit Ray's Aranyer Din Ratri, where Rinkudi played the lead while Reenadi had a walk-on part. They didn't come face-to-face in the film. My Antaheen brings them together for the first time.

I think some history is being created here," laughs Aniruddh. He adds, "The spoken language in the film and on the sets is Bengali. I don't think the film's drama will work in any other language. Just like it needed Bengali, it also needed Sharmila and Aparna. That's why they're together in this film." Antaheen is scheduled to be released by October or November, 2008, with English subtitles.

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