“I don’t view myself as a woman” says Konkana Sen Sharma, one of India’s prominent actors

Konkona Sen Sharma, a prominent Indian actor, seen in films like The Rapist, Ajeeb Daastaans and Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi,recently shared her views about the conventional gender construct, and how she doesn’t see herself fitting into it.  

She said in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar that she can’t see herself as a woman and feels she doesn’t relate to the concept of gender. 

She further elaborated that she doesn’t believe in the gender construct of society. She has impressed the audience and the critics with her superb performance in films like ‘Page 3’, ‘Omkara’, ‘Luck By Chance’, and ‘Talvar’. Having played a variety of characters in her career journey, she noted that while playing a very feminine part in a role is also a bit challenging because it doesn’t come naturally to her and she has to learn it. 

Konkana said she considers herself to be gender-neutral and has also thought about herself as androgynous. Androgyny, for the uninitiated, is the possession occurs to both masculine and feminine traits in someone’s personality, and it may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender expression, or gender identity. 

While having a conversation with Harper’s Bazaar India, Konkona has said openly that she doesn’t view herself as a woman and considers herself as completely gender neutral.  

She added, “Even when I have to be very feminine in a film, I have to learn how to. There’s no one way of being a woman or a man or anything in between… I’ve always felt a bit androgynous”, she added while talking to the leading fashion magazine cover for the 13th-anniversary issue. 

The actress also said that from an incredibly young age she had been comfortable with not fitting in it. The main reason behind that is her very unconventional and liberal upbringing by her parents. In a continuation she added that it’s the uniformity and gender conformity that becomes almost claustrophobic to her.  

Konkana has an 11-year old son, Haroon Shorey, with actor Ranvir Shorey whom she married in 2010 and got separated and officially got divorced in 2020. She further said that she always teaches her son to be a freethinker in his life but there are certain norms he has to follow; to be a part of a society, there is a level of tolerance you have to learn in moving further.  

She added, she doesn’t bind herself into any societal, conventional norms, moralities, or any type of expectations. Heteronormativity is the last thing on her mind.  

Speaking of her failed marriage, Konkona said that she has experienced the concept of cohabitation and realized that it is not for herself and how it can ruin relationships. She said that she likes having her own room, bathroom, AC, etc. And sometimes, she felt like a nocturnal person and needed her own time to do things.  

She further said that one has no control over other people’s behavior and their feelings, and thus one must have to keep low expectations from others for a better life. 

Speaking of the work front, Konkona Sen Sharma will be coming on the screen soon in her Aparna Sen’s movie The Rapist set to release in October 2022.