Happy Birthday Konkona Sen Sharma: Movies where the actor won our hearts with her performance

You know how brilliant an actor is when you get down to write a piece on her best roles and find yourself in a fix, as to which ones to omit, rather than which ones to include. When it comes to Konkona Sen Sharma, it won't be an understatement to say that this Bengali beauty shines in each character she plays, regardless of the length, language or the commercial viability of that role. As this powerhouse of talent turns 43 today, we revisit some of her best movies along the way...

Konkona Sen Sharma stars as Bharti Mandal in the story Geeli Pucchi in this anthology film, consisting of four short segments. Bharti is a low caste, closet homosexual who is discriminated against at every point in life. At work, she meets the upper-caste, outwordly "feminine" Priya, (Aditi Rao Hydari), and the two form a deep bond, yet can't act on their feelings since Priya is already married. Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, the story explores the caste bias and the hundreds of lavender marriages women are forced to enter, in an effort to mask their latent homosexuality.

This black comedy explores the right of women to claim their desire, surpassing religious, age and societal barriers. Konkona stars as Shireen Aslam, a burkha-wearing housewife and mother of three, who moonlights as a sales woman. Her husband sexually abuses her and forbids the use of contraceptives leading to Shireen getting multiple abortions on the sly. Co-starring Ratna Pathak Shah, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur, the movie was directed by Alankrita Shrivastava.

Based on the (in) famous Arushi Talvar murder case that shook the nation in 2008, the movie sees Konkona play the victim's mother, called Nutan Tandon for the movie. With her restrained demeanour and expressive eyes, Konkona breathes such life in the character, that the lines between reality and fiction begin to disappear. As a senior investigator unravels conflicting perspectives involving this brutal double murder, the film also showcases the blatant inadequacy of the UP police in dealing with a crime that by and large remains unsolved till date. Directed by Meghna Gulzar, the movie was released internationally as Guilty and co-starred Neeraj Kabi and late Irrfan Khan.

Exploring the superficial life of celebrities, seen through the eyes of upright journalist Madhavi Sharma, the movie delves deeper into the murky world behind the glitz and glamour, replete with drugs, heartbreaks, mental health issues and fame hungry actors, directors and models. As Madhavi tries to keep her sanity intact while navigating through these muddy waters, her own conscience begins to question her, forcing her to eventually rethink her line of profession. Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar and Jay Dev Banerjee, the movie is still remembered as one the best roles of Konkona.

Konkona Sen Sharma stars as Meenakshi Iyer, who along with her infant, takes a bus journey home. There, initially introduced as an acquaintance, she gets to know that Raja Chowdhury (Rahul Bose) is infact a Muslim. Initially aloof, the two warm up to each other, just as violent communal riots break out in the country, forcing the three of them to stick together, pretending to be a family, taking on the Iyer surname. Directed by Aparna Sen, this English language drama won rave reviews for both Konkona and Rahul's performance.

Apart from these, Konkona Sen Sharma also put in some powerful performances in movies like Life in a Metro, Ek Thi Daayan, Amu, Luck by Chance, Omkara, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, Wake Up Sid and 15 Park Avenue.