‘There’s no luck without hard work’

Twenty-eight-year-old Ranjan Ghosh is the first writer Aparna Sen has ever collaborated with in her career. The aspiring filmmaker wrote the script of Iti Mrinalini with Sen as part of his final project while a screenwriting student at Whistling Woods International. Directed by Aparna Sen, the Bengali film tells the story of an ageing suicidal actress (played by Sen herself) who digs through remnants of her past which remind her of her younger self (played by daughter Konkona Sen). The movie will be dubbed in Hindi for a national audience and is slated for release on June 15.

What was it like working with Sen?
It was intimidating initially but she was really nice to me. She would ask me sweetly, are you enjoying working with me? Are you sure I’m not breathing down your neck? (smiles) She’s meticulous and a pure artiste. The only problem she had with me was that she thought I was very aggressive and a bit of a control freak. At times she would firmly say, just let go Ranjan. But, she also respects a writer’s space.

Iti Mrinalini explores the complexities of a woman’s mind. Was it difficult for you to write a woman’s character?
I’ve always been very close to my mother and sister, so I have an idea of the female psyche. And as a writer, you have to imagine. Personally, I don’t do a lot of research; I like it to come to me instinctively I also observed Aparna and Konkona closely during our interactions.

Do you feel fortunate to have achieved so much so soon in your career? Do you attribute it to luck or talent?
I would say it’s a combination of hard work and luck, with adequate amounts of talent being assumed. You have to be talented but that’s not all it takes. It’s more about grit, not taking things lying down. With no hard work, there’s no luck. But, with hard work, luck can be an
advantage.