An unusual way to promote a movie but then the movie is rather unique too! Sonata, written and directed by Ms. Aparna Sen is a psychological exploration of three unmarried women facing a midlife crisis. The three friends Aruna, Dolon and Subhadra, a professor, a banker and a journalist are todays women, successful, capable and strong yet vulnerable. Ms. Aparna Sen also plays one of the main protagonists in the film.
The Team behind Sonata decided to invite a few select food and lifestyle bloggers to join Aparna for a chat at The Grid and I was privileged to be one of them. I think all of us were expecting a serious and somber evening but in reality Aparna was very warm and gracious that she immediately put us all at ease. Her honesty and candor were absolutely charming and by the end of our evening we were all totally bowled over by her charisma.
When I asked her if she prefers acting or directing she replied that she loves to Direct and wishes she had started earlier. Rina Di as she is affectionately called by most people said making a movie is the ultimate creative satisfaction almost akin to raising a child. We spoke over varied topics ranging from Sonata, to mid-life crises, to motherhood and naturally to food and cooking (when I am around all conversations will ultimately lead to food!). When asked what she loves to eat she said bread was her guilty pleasure and her favorite meal is a hearty breakfast spread with eggs, cold cuts, cheese, sausages which she confessed that she can happily eat at any hour of the day. She also enjoys a glass of Red Wine and likes to pair it with Cheese and Grapes. When I asked her what she likes to cook she told me rather matter-of-fact that she used to cook daily when spending time with her husband in the US or for that matter even while in Shantiniketan. Since her husband enjoys Pastas, over the years she has become rather skilled at churning out a variety of Pasta dishes.
This delightful soiree was carried out over some delicious food served up at The Grid – Mithibai College Grilled Sandwich, Cheese Garlic Bread and Chicken Pakora’s which we polished off. Rina Di loved the Mithhibai College Grilled Sandwich and happily munched away with us while we all chatted with her. This wonderful interlude with the iconic Aparna Sen drew to a close with all of us lining up for selfies and photographs for which she was gracious enough to patiently pose with us for. But the memories of this delightful evening will linger on in our minds.
I was already looking forward to watching Sonata, now after this lovely evening it’s just going to make the experience even more highly anticipated and special. The movie releases on 21st April 2017 in theaters and I can’t wait to go watch it. It’s not often that a Director has the conviction to make a film on such an unusual topic but then we are talking about Ms. Sen and she is certainly special!
A special thank you to Supreeta Singh and Modhurima Sinha for inviting us for such an incredible evening.
Rukshana is the Founder of The Culinary Commentator and Kolkata Food Fanatics and her blog https://theculinarycommentator.com/ [1] is among the most widely read.