by Subhash K Jha

If all goes well, Konkona Sensharma will play Iago's wife, Emilia, in Vishal Bharadwaj's adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello.

Vishal's Maqbool hero, Irrfan Khan, and Konkona are coming together in Deadline, to be directed by Tanvir Khan, who made Madhoshi. "I haven't seen Madhoshi," says Konkona. "But I really liked the script. It's a 24-hour thriller. Irrfan plays the man who kidnaps my child; Rajit Kapur plays my husband."

Another thriller, Amavas, is also ready. "Now I'm shooting Meridian, again with Irrfan Khan. It also has Arjun Rampal, whom I've never worked with before. The film is directed by debutant Vinny Mitra. We've been doing a lot of rehearsals... I like doing films that stretch me as an actor." She adds.

Konkona is also doing what she describes as a "funny little sweet film", with Onirban, who directed My Brother Nikhil. "I'm glad to be doing something light. My next release is my mom's 15 Park Avenue; it's a very dark film." Another female director in Konkona's kitty is Reema, who assisted Farhan Akhtar on Dil Chahta Hai, and Ashutosh Gowariker on Lagaan.

Right now, Konkona is excited about her next release, 15 Park Avenue.

"Shabana and I play sisters — she's 18 years older. And I come together with Rahul Bose again, after Mr & Mrs Iyer. It's a very dramatic film, and I'm really looking forward to it. I've also completed a comedy, Mixed Doubles, directed by Rajit Kapur and starring Ranvir Shorey and Koel Puri. I want to do more comedy, and since I'm paired in mom's film with Govinda, I know I'll have great fun."

Incidentally, Soha plays Konkona's daughter in the Aparna Sen film. "I have to age from 19 to 40. Why is my mom making me work so hard? I'm a very lazy actor," she complains. The actress says she still dreads doing big, commercial films.

"Not that I have been offered any, but I wonder what it entails. I am, to a certain extent, intimidated by the idea of commercial cinema. Page 3 was my first big, commercial hit, though it wasn't really a formula film," she says.

Konkona says she spends her free time reading, watching movies, visiting friends and travelling, especially between Kolkata and Mumbai.

"Sometimes I forget which city I am in.... And there's no man in my life; if there was, I'd have spoken openly about it. Right now, all I want is for my career to move to a different level."