Mr. and Mrs. Iyer's new residence 

By IndiaFM News Bureau, January 5, 2006 - 06:15 IST

15 Park Avenue……. 36 Chowrangee Lane. Similarities??? Both Addresses! Yes! What else? Yup, both films have Aparna Sen at the driver's seat. And who else to star in it but her lovely little National Award winning daughter Konkona Sen Sharma along with Mr. and Mrs. Iyer co-star Rahul Bose. Now a new face has been added to the cast. New in the Aparna Sen camp i.e. we are talking about none other than the versatile Shabana Azmi. Here a one on one or rather a one on two with Shabana and Aparna. All aboard. Next Stop - 15 Park Avenue.

A film with a soul and… addresses a message.
“Its about two sisters played by Shabana and Konkona. Shabana is the sole caretaker of her schizophrenic sister. Their worlds are very different.” says Aparna. “This is a film about various kinds of realities.”

Go on…
“Konkona inhabits a world in which she lives with her husband and five children. They live in a beautiful white house which is located at 15 Park Avenue. Now whether this place is real or not is the question. This is Konkona's reality but is not Shabana's reality.”

And what does Shabana have to offer?
“Shabana is a completely frazzled brilliant woman and very successful. At the same time she is very warm and takes care of her sister because of which her personal life is in disarray because of that. Konkona emulates her and is very envious of her, frightened of her but above all loves her very much. So over all there are many layers of human relationships in this film.”

Hmm… Quite a multifaceted Ms. Azmi! Let's hear your opening lines in this interview.
“Though my character sounds layered and complex, it is really easy to follow. I think the greatest strength of Aparna Sen is that she writes her own scripts which are very clear. So it becomes easy for the actor, because all the complexities are already there and it's up to us to unravel them and find them. She can coax the actor out of any blog.”

Big sister helps little sister. Big deal!
Shabana: “We have seen in Indian cinema, an older sister giving her all to the younger sister. What makes this different in 15 Park Avenue is that it is not done in a Tapasya and a martyr kind of way. She is short tempered and angry and never has time yet she is ever vigilant, 100% reliable and always there. So it's a very interesting character to play.”

So you guys are good friends. Is that why you cast her in the role?
(Question directed for Aparna gets interrupted by an over-excited Shabana) “Let me make it clear. Aparna Sen does not have the freedom of casting just about anyone if there is the remotest chance of me having a role in it. I will bulldoze my way into the film and say that is the role I want to do.”

Aparna: “Shabana is an actor of such long standing that I dare to say that this is one of her best.”

Aww… One big happy family!
Shabana: “Konkona is like my daughter because I have known her since she was 8 year old. As for Aparna, I lied my way into this film. I had to use a computer and drive and I didn't know either. So I told her I'll learn in 15 days, which I didn't off course. Then she called me a liar and a liability. I'm going to drag myself into her next film as well.”

Working with Waheeda
Shabana: “Waheeda Rehman is an absolute delight to be with. She is full of stories and is very optimistic. Aparna didn't know her when she started the film. Since I have had a long history with Waheedaji, I suggested her name. Everybody was in complete awe of her and we wondered how we should behave with her. She put everybody at ease and it came so naturally to her”.

Aparna: “I dared not even think of her because I didn't know she was acting now. Shabana said that we should ring her up and after that we had a ball.”

Rahul and Konkona. From a bus to an avenue?
“They are not a jodi or anything.”, says the defensive mommy Aparna.

But love is in the air…or in the park!
Continues Aparna, “It is totally different kind of love story. Their love story is on two different levels of reality. To Rahul and Konkona's credit, they have become completely different in this film.”

Having Rahul as a brother in law?
Shabana: “Rahul is a very cheeky actor and extremely funny. When we were on the sets our sides spilt with laughter.”

Facing Jawani Diwani - the sex comedy
Aparna: “They are two different films. Our publicity has just begun. This kind of film always depends on word of mouth publicity. But I am finding people warming to the film and Mr. and Mrs. Iyer has done me a world of good as people are constantly asking me what my next film is going to be.”

15 Park Avenue will be the first release of next year