''A Death In The Gunj'': Konkona Sen Sharma reveals why she donned director''s hat

New Delhi: Time and again, Bollywood actress Konkona Sen Sharma has impressed audiences with her stellar acting skills in films such as `Lipstick Under My Burkha`, `Talvar` and `Page 3` among many others.

The 37-year-old has been now winning global acclaim and multiple awards at film festivals for her directorial debut `A Death In The Gunj`. So, what made her don the director`s hat? In an exclusive conversation with ANI, the `Wake Up Sid` star revealed, "I hadn`t planned on directing a film. But then, this story had stayed with me for a long time" Adding, "`Gunj`, from the title is from McCluskieganj, a place which is an 18-hour drive away from Kolkata. My parents owned a house there, my grandparents used to live there. So friends and family, we would all go on these road trips for a fun holiday.

There were many family anecdotes about the time but because it was a remote, quiet place, there were some stories which were a little chilling or a little spooky. And this was one of them".

So I have been hearing the story as a kid from my dad a lot and then eventually there came a point when I was spending some time with him, that the story grew and developed in my head and at that point, I thought, 'Oh my god'! This can be made into a movie!".

'A Death In The Gunj' was recently invited to be showcased at the New York Indian film festival.

Not only was the film appreciated at the festival, but Konkona also won the title of the Best Director there.The actress, who was recently present in the national capital to promote her directorial debut, also said she`s elated and extremely grateful for having received a positive response for the flick. `A Death In The Gunj` stars Vikrant Massey, Kalki Koechlin, Ranvir Shorey, Tanuja and the late Om Puri.

The film is all set to hit theatres on June 2.