Aparna Sen speaks to Subhash K Jha about her new film

You're constantly traveling among 3 cities Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi. And now you're making a film that encompasss three languages?
Ha ha. Yes, The Japanese Wife is in three languages. Now I'm holding a workshop with my actors for The Japanese Wife. We start shooting end of March and finish in June. We want to shoot in Japan when the cherry-blossom season starts.

Sounds very interesting.
For the first time I'm filming someone else's story. He's an English-language author Kunal Basu, who writes from Oxford. The Japanese Wife is his unpublished story. But I think Harper Collins will publish the story soon.

I fell in love with the story and since the author admires my work he agreed to let me film it. I can praise it since I haven't written it.

It's a haunting and improbable love story about a school teacher in Sundarban who becomes pen pals with an equally shy Japanese girl. Their letters to each other are endearingly wonky since they both speak and write an imperfect English.

Your most romantic film to date....And Rahul Bose's most romantic film ever.
Yes. Rahul is so wonderfully attached to the project. He seems so happy to be part of this film. After two earlier films we share a very comfortable relationship. It's so difficult to make other actors in Mumbai believe in workshops and rehearsals.

A multi-lingual project such as this requires actors who believe and surrender completely. Rahul fits the bill. We've a Japanese actresss Chigasu Takaku playing the title role....And I'm working with Moushumi Chatterjee for the first time as a director (we've done a couple of Bengali films together as co-stars).

She's brilliant. See, The Japanese Wife is also funny. And Moushumi is a natural at humour. She has wonderful comic timing. Even my daughter Konkona is wonderful at comedy.

It's amazing how Konkona has evolved as an actor.
Konkona has a rare gift as an actor. She doesn't let success go to her head. Acting is a lot of fun for her. She's doing everything right, going to the gym religiously even when she's too lazy to do so. Do you know she almost had to give up Omkara?

She fell ill. She had this fever that just went on for months. We were so worried. It was just terrible. I asked Vishal if he wanted to have another actress on stand-by.

He refused to do Omkara with any other actress. As a fellow-filmmaker I knew that was impractical. But Vishal insisted.

Who's producing The Japanese Wife?
This is Sa Re Ga Ma. I've joined Sa Re Ga Ma as the head of the Bengali division. I've always had a job outside cinema so that I don't have to compromise of my filmmaking. Sa Re Ga Ma wanted me for a long time.

We've got some wonderful people on board. They've just completed a children's film by Ken Ghosh and now they're going on to The Japanese Wife. It's exciting to scout for new filmmaking talent.

The one new director I'm most impressed by is Birsa Dasgupta. He 's truly original, neither derivative nor imitative. It's not enough to make good films. One has to lay the grounds down for the future. Some scripts that I don't feel like directing, I'd pass on to others.

How did you find the Japanese actress?
We went to Japan for reiki. We'll be shooting with her at the end of the month in Japan. The language will be English, Japanese and Bangla. But later we'll dub it in Hindi for a national audience. I know there's a national audience for my cinema. After we dubbed 15 Park Avenue I realized how professionally the dubbing can be done.

Would you allow Raima and Rahul to dub in Hindi?
Definitely. But in the original version if they can't get the Bengali accent right I'll have to dub their voices. Ironically Rahul who speaks wonderful English has to speak disastrous English in The Japanese Wife. I've written some really funny-sounding lines for Rahul.

But the dubbing by another voice takes away from the performance.
I don't think so. Look at Raima Sen in Chokher Bali and Kiran Kher in Bariwali. Although their lines were dubbed their performances were very good. And I had personally dubbed for Debashree Roy in 36 Chowringhee Lane. In fact I think dubbing enchances the performances.

When will you make a Hindi film?
Mabe soon, maybe not. It isn't important. You know what really irritates me? Whenever we speak of mainstream film we immediately think of Hindi cinema. But India is a country of many equally important languages and cinema. I can make a Hindi film anytime.

I've three Hindi scripts. Even my proposed Bengali film The Jewellery Box (featuring Govinda, Konkona, Soha Ali Khan and Sharmila Tagore) might have to be made in Hindi because it requires a big budget. I would have minded making The Japanese Wife in Hindi. But which Hindi producer would invest this?

In any case I'd like to think I have an audience regardless of the language. I don't think about it...but I do have my place and audience.

As for the star system in Mumbai, I really don't have the time or patience. I don't need stars. But if they want to work with me, I'll welcome them.

Govinda is dying for you to start The Jewellery Box.
He'll have to hold his horses. First of all I haven't got the house I want to shoot in Kolkata. Seondly Konkona is so busy, she kept asking me whether she should say no to other projects. At the moment I'm just glad to be doing The Japanese Wife. I want to make one beautiful little film after another.

Have you watched any recent Hindi films?
Yes, Guru. I liked Aishwarya Rai very much...and of course Abhishek is someone I've always liked. I really admire Vishal Bhardawaj for bringing literature into popular cinema. And he's a wonderful music director. I'd love to have him compose music for one of my films.