Shonali Bose shares how she channelised the pain of losing her mum in Amu
Filmmaker Shonali Bose was just 21 when she lost her mother, Junie Dass, in 1986, a tragedy that profoundly shaped her life and artistic journey. This immense personal loss became a recurring undercurrent in her storytelling.
'Losing her at 21 was devastating and painful — it changed my life,' Shonali recalls, adding, 'I explored mother-daughter relationships and the theme of death across Amu (2005), Margarita with a Straw (2014), and The Sky is Pink (2019). With Amu specifically, we intentionally wrote a story around a mother daughter to tap into my pain and write from an honest place. I believe that if you can write from the depths of your pain - that can be powerful.'
Also Read: Miranda House objects to Shonali Bose's 'Ziddi Girls', makers issue 'fiction' disclaimer
In her debut film Amu, Shonali cast her maternal aunt Brinda Karat in a pivotal role. One emotionally charged scene required Brinda's character, Keya, to reveal Amu's (played by Konkona Sen Sharma) origin story — a moment that required Brinda to tap into the pain of losing her sister.
'Brinda had already delivered two brilliant takes' Shonali recounts, adding, 'But hours later, at around 2 a.m., when it was her cue again, she couldn't emote, she was just numb.
No matter what I said she couldn't tear up. Then I got an idea. The scene was in an ambassador car and I was crouched under the seat. After calling action I did a sense memory exercise and talked Brinda through the memory of the last moments of my mother's (her sister) life before the plug was pulled in Breach Candy ICU. And she couldn't hold back the tears. When I called cut and came out of the car I saw that my sound recordist and designer Resul Pookutty was sobbing too — he had heard every word through his headphones.'
A post shared by Shonali Bose (@shonalibose_)
This deeply personal emotion extended into her later work as well. In Margarita with a Straw, Shonali recreated the raw emotion she had experienced in 1986.
'When Revathy's character dies in the hospital and Kalki's (Koechlin) character rushes out in her wheelchair, wailing — that was me, just as I did when my mamma died in 1986,' she shares, adding, 'For years Mother's Day was painful for me. And then I gave birth to Ishan and became a mamma myself. And would love the cards he would hand paint for me that I still have,' she shares. Shonali lost Ishan at just 16 years old in 2010. This life-altering loss found expression in her 2019 film The Sky is Pink.
'His death took me to another place… I felt a deep peace about death. In The Sky is Pink, the character played by Priyanka (Chopra Jonas; actor) wears a vibrant pink scarf to her daughter's funeral. Just as I had worn red. To celebrate. Not mourn. It marked the end of a marathon. A journey,' Shonali ends.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Economic Times
Justin Bieber's Father's Day turns sour as heated argument with Hailey leaves marriage on shaky ground
Justin Bieber's Father's Day posts sparked a fight with Hailey. He called her names online. Hailey was angry and told him to get help. She is tired of his behavior. Justin posted about his struggles. Hailey shared photos with their son but did not acknowledge Justin. The incident raises questions about their relationship. She wants him to control his anger. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What went wrong this Father's Day? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why did Hailey Bieber lash out? Is this a sign of deeper problems? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs It was supposed to be a special Father's Day for Justin and Hailey Bieber , but it quickly devolved into a heated public feud. The singer's "erratic" online behavior, as well as a string of disrespectful posts, left Hailey "beyond furious" and desperate for him to seek to reports, Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey Bieber , got into a bitter argument over a string of inconsistent posts he made on his Instagram page at the end of their Father's Day to one of the posts, the singer called Hailey a "lil ho." Infuriated by Justin's post, Hailey allegedly called him a "child" and told him to "start listening to the people who care about him," as per a report by the apparent response to the "lil ho" comment was Hailey Bieber's "Father's Day sucks," which was a parody of Justin Bieber's earlier-in-the-year "Mother's Day sucks" Bieber is reportedly "fed up" with Justin Bieber's "childish behavior." The Sun claims that Hailey was extremely upset with him and was "beyond furious" about his strange social media posts The post really set her off, and she told him it was one of the dumbest things he's ever done, like feeding raw meat to a pack of lions who want to eat you alive,' as per a insider claims that Hailey has been pushing the pop star to get professional help for a while now, indicating that she is aware of his "anger and mood issues."She did, however, firmly express her frustrations during their heated argument and is no longer prepared to offer excuses for his didn't want him to post that message. She is tired of his immature actions and the unending negativity he projects onto also took advantage of the situation by publicly responding harshly to Justin's Father's Day message. Some fans believed that the singer's remark, "Happy daddies day to me u lil ho," was a lighthearted jab at his then posted a personal statement in which he described himself as "broken" and discussed his difficulties with self-worth, anger, and posted about 20 pictures with the middle finger emoji as the caption throughout the day, including a few with his son. Besides a picture of himself posing with a hibachi chef and a picture of Hailey sitting at a grand piano with Jack in his lap, he did post multiple selfies of himself that appeared to be celebrating the day, as per a report by the Daily not paying homage, Hailey seemed to spend the day with the new father as she shared a photo of herself with their son on social media. However, she did not mention Justin or wish him a happy Father's she reposted influencer photos and posted numerous posts about her most recent Rhode beauty called her a "lil ho" in a Father's Day post and acted out online, which enraged Bieber encourages him to seek therapy and work on controlling his anger and behavior.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Justin Bieber's Father's Day turns sour as heated argument with Hailey leaves marriage on shaky ground
It was supposed to be a special Father's Day for Justin and Hailey Bieber , but it quickly devolved into a heated public feud. The singer's "erratic" online behavior, as well as a string of disrespectful posts, left Hailey "beyond furious" and desperate for him to seek help. What went wrong this Father's Day? According to reports, Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey Bieber , got into a bitter argument over a string of inconsistent posts he made on his Instagram page at the end of their Father's Day celebration. According to one of the posts, the singer called Hailey a "lil ho." Infuriated by Justin's post, Hailey allegedly called him a "child" and told him to "start listening to the people who care about him," as per a report by the Blast. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 40代以上でPC持ってるなら、このゲームはあなた向け！ Hero Wars ゲームをプレイ Undo Another apparent response to the "lil ho" comment was Hailey Bieber's "Father's Day sucks," which was a parody of Justin Bieber's earlier-in-the-year "Mother's Day sucks" remark. ALSO READ: Pavel Durov net worth: How many children does Telegram CEO have, who are their mothers and how will he distribute wealth? Live Events Why did Hailey Bieber lash out? Hailey Bieber is reportedly "fed up" with Justin Bieber's "childish behavior." The Sun claims that Hailey was extremely upset with him and was "beyond furious" about his strange social media posts . The post really set her off, and she told him it was one of the dumbest things he's ever done, like feeding raw meat to a pack of lions who want to eat you alive,' as per a report. The insider claims that Hailey has been pushing the pop star to get professional help for a while now, indicating that she is aware of his "anger and mood issues." She did, however, firmly express her frustrations during their heated argument and is no longer prepared to offer excuses for his actions. Hailey didn't want him to post that message. She is tired of his immature actions and the unending negativity he projects onto himself. She also took advantage of the situation by publicly responding harshly to Justin's Father's Day message. Some fans believed that the singer's remark, "Happy daddies day to me u lil ho," was a lighthearted jab at his wife. Is this a sign of deeper problems? Justin then posted a personal statement in which he described himself as "broken" and discussed his difficulties with self-worth, anger, and healing. Justin posted about 20 pictures with the middle finger emoji as the caption throughout the day, including a few with his son. In addition to a picture of himself posing with a hibachi chef and a picture of Hailey sitting at a grand piano with Jack in his lap, he did post multiple selfies of himself that appeared to be celebrating the day. Despite not paying homage, Hailey seemed to spend the day with the new father as she shared a photo of herself with their son on social media. However, she did not mention Justin or wish him a happy Father's Day. Rather, she reposted influencer photos and posted numerous posts about her most recent Rhode beauty release. FAQs Why was Hailey upset with Justin? He called her a "lil ho" in a Father's Day post and acted out online, which enraged her. Will Justin Bieber get help? Hailey Bieber encourages him to seek therapy and work on controlling his anger and behavior.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Marriage meltdown? Hailey Bieber exhausted and reportedly eyeing escape from Bieber household
Hailey Bieber is feeling very tired and stressed in her marriage with Justin Bieber. Reports say she is thinking about leaving the Bieber home because she feels worn out from taking care of their family and wants to focus on herself and her son. She feels 'emotionally spent' after 'raising two children' in the home, Justin and their son, Jack Blues Bieber. Hailey, refuses to be the 'caregiver' to Justin anymore, as per reports. Divorce rumors about the couple have been going on for a long time. Divorce and rumor These rumors got stronger because of Justin's strange messages and behavior. A source said Hailey has 'reached her limit' because she has been cleaning up and covering for Justin for many years, according to the report by Reality Tea. Now, she is focusing on her son Jack, her career, and 'her sanity.' Hailey has the financial power to end the marriage, especially after selling Rhode for $1 billion. The insider said Hailey is done protecting Justin and done playing the role of caregiver, as mentioned in the report by RadarOnline. Hailey, a model, socialite, creative director and businesswoman, has created her own identity and doesn't need Justin for 'relevance or stability.' Sources close to the couple say Hailey is not rushing but is choosing peace, as reported by Reality Tea. Live Events Although the couple has denied divorce rumors several times, their social media actions make the rumors stronger. On social media, Hailey left a comment on Father's Day under Justin's post saying 'Father's Day sucks a–.', as stated in the report by RadarOnline. This comment seemed to reference a similar negative comment Justin made on Mother's Day. Hailey later deleted that comment, as per reports. FAQs Q1. Are Hailey and Justin getting divorced? No official news, but rumors are strong. Q2. Have Hailey and Justin denied the divorce rumors? Yes, but the rumors continue because of their behavior.
