I live in the moment: Konkona Sen Sharma on completing 20 years in cinema

The actor, one of the most versatile contemporary performers in the film industry, made her debut with Bengali film "Ek Je Aachhe Kanya" in June 2001. 

"I don't really look back at my journey. I live in the moment. Just don't even like to say that I'm looking ahead. I have never been a very ambitious kind of a person either, so I don't really look back," Sen Sharma told PTI in an interview. 

"Maybe at the end of my life, I might look back. But right now, I'm just looking to live in the moment. And I like to make my own life interesting. So let's see now, what else comes my way," she added. 

The 41-year-old actor has had an interesting journey over the years receiving praise for performance in movies such as "Mr and Mrs Iyer", "Page 3", "Omkara", "Life in a... Metro", "Wake Up Sid", "Talvar" and "Lipstick Under My Burkha" and "Geeli Pucchi in Netflix anthology "Ajeeb Daastaans" to name a few. 

The actor said her approach to picking up projects is that if a script doesn't speak to her, she will not do it. 

"I try to do work that I find interesting, work that I think I'll be able to contribute something to. If something doesn't speak to me and if I cannot connect with the material, then it's really a waste of time for everyone -- for me and the people who are making it. So, I try to just find something that I can relate to and can contribute to in some way." 

In between acting in films, Sharma also made her directorial debut with the 2016 critical hit "A Death in the Gunj". 

When asked about her second directorial, Sharma said her plate is quite full of other things. 

"I'm primarily an actress. Off late, I've been lucky that I've been getting some good roles. So, I kept myself busy with that. And I have a ten-year-old son. So, life is quite full. 

"I think direction is a tough job...So I think when I really need to tell a story, then I will, hopefully, direct." 

Sen Sharma will next make her series debut with Amazon Prime Video show "Mumbai Diaries", created by filmmaker Nikkhil Advani. 

The show pays tribute to the frontline heroes who saved many lives during the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai. 

The actor said over the years she received many offers to star in web shows, but she chose "Mumbai Diaries" because it had the appeal of a thriller. 

"It was a great script. I was really excited about this script because it's almost like a thriller. The show is really a tribute to frontline workers and it was a well-written kind of a show. 

"It dealt with the subject very respectfully in a very dignified fashion. So I was really taken with just the way the script was written and I felt that it would make for a really good show." 

"Mumbai Diaries" unfolds in the emergency room of a government hospital and details the challenges faced by doctors on the fateful night of November 26, 2008. 

Sen Sharma, who plays Chitra Das in the show, said the series is quite timely as due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is a renewed focus on celebrating the work done by frontline healthcare staff. 

"We shot it just before the pandemic like we finished shooting it and then Covid started. So we were very lucky. And at that time, we didn't even realise so much about the frontline workers. And now, one has actually got a new appreciation for first responders and how difficult their lives are," she said. 

Sharma was not in Mumbai when the 26/11 attacks happened and she recalled that when she came back, there was a "heaviness" in the city post the incident. 

"I moved to Mumbai in 2005 but I do consider it my home. I was not in town when 26/11 happened, I was traveling. And when I came back a few days later, it was a very confusing and terrifying time because initially, we didn't really have a handle on the nature of the event. 

"There were multiple locations and bit by bit we were finding out about the places where attacks took place. So it was a very tough and confusing time for all of us. I remember when I came back, there was such heaviness in the city, an uneasy kind of stillness and a shock and disbelief amongst all Mumbaikars." 

Produced by Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani of Emmay Entertainment, "Mumbai Diaries" is directed by Nikkhil Advani along with Nikhil Gonsalves. 

The show also stars Mohit Raina, Tina Desai, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Satyajeet Dubey, Natasha Bharadwaj, Mrunmayee Deshpande and Prakash Belawadi. 

It will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on September 9.