Konkona Sen Sharma: Audiobooks are great to exercise imagination

Mumbai: Actress-filmmaker Konkona Sen Sharma has lent her voice to the audiobook of the Anita Nair's novel "Twin Beds". She feels audiobooks are a new and interesting approach to tap the imagination of people who do not have the patience to read.

"It is true that the habit of reading books has gone down, so the audiobook is a nice idea to exercise our imagination. One does not need to put any extra effort, one can play the audiobook while on a long drive, sitting idle in a room, putting on nail paint, or (doing) anything mundane. Listening to the book gives you a chance to know the story and characters, and then you can use your imagination," Konkona told IANS.

"Twin Beds" revolves around a married couple Akash and Nisha, who fall in love all over again during a trip to Thimphu. The audiobook also features the voices of Konkona and Satyadeep Mishra. The audiobook will be released on the streaming platform Storytel on November 26.

"It was a different and stress-free experience. On a film set -- especially the low-budget films I have been a part of -- one has to hurry up on set. So many people work around a scene and (there is) noise. Here, I am doing voice acting in silence, inside a studio and in front of a microphone. This was much relaxing," said Konkona.

Would she want to start a podcast show? "I did not give it a thought but it is actually a good idea -- a podcast where I can share my thoughts, have a conversation with people who matter," replied the actress.

Konkona is a voracious reader. Asked if the romance of reading a book can be captured through an audiobook for people who love to read, she replied: "I started listening to the audiobook very recently after doing the project with Storytel. I am quite an old-school that way, (I like) to read a book from the printed words, holding a hard copy. I do not even like reading books online, though I know it is quite convenient at times, especially while travelling. To me, the experience of reading a book is irreplaceable. There is a physical interaction that happens with book," said the actress.