Konkona reveals acting in 'Omkara' was 'nerve-wracking'
What's the story
Konkona Sen Sharma, who portrayed Indu in Vishal Bhardwaj's Omkara, recently revealed that she was initially intimidated by the heavy Uttar Pradesh accent required for her role. In a candid conversation with Mid-day's Sit with Hitlist series, she admitted to having considered dropping out of the project multiple times due to this challenge.
Accent anxiety
'I had to get it read by someone else...': Actor
Sen Sharma, who hails from a Bengali background, found it difficult to grasp the local dialect used in Omkara. The movie is set in Meerut and revolves around a gang leader's story. "In Omkara, the main prep was the accent." "I remember that we were all given a CD. Back then, it used to be CDs of our dialogues. So I had to get it read by someone else." She added that even during Bhardwaj's narration, she felt lost.
Role preparation
'Many times I want to run away...'
She recalled, "Many times I want to run away. Many times I'm like, 'Sh*t, why did I take this on?'" Despite her struggles, she was determined to deliver a good performance. She spent a lot of time retouching her lines and started practising the Western UP dialect during dubbing in ADR (automated dialogue replacement). "You had to get it right...And I was kind of newish. There were these very established actors around." "It was nerve-wracking, the whole thing was nerve-wracking."
Director's support
Bhardwaj reassured her amid struggles
Sen Sharma revealed that Bhardwaj noticed her struggles and tried to reassure her. She shared, "Vishal is very, very gentle, very sweet." "And I remember one day he came and just said quietly in my ear, 'You know, Koko, you just concentrate on the acting. Don't worry so much about the accent.'"
Unwavering resolve
Sen Sharma's hard work paid off in the end
Despite her initial fears and struggles with the dialect, Sen Sharma was determined to deliver a good performance. "So my only thing was that I had to go there. I have to be able to say my lines and come out," she said. Her hard work paid off as her portrayal of Indu in Omkara received critical acclaim and remains one of her most memorable performances.