Sen's foray into the world of entertainment happened when she was fifteen and was photographed by Brian Brake for the well-known photo from his 1960 Monsoon series of photographs; the photo appeared on the cover of Life.[5]
Sen made her film debut at the age of 16 when she played the role of Mrinmoyee in the Samapti portion of the 1961 film Teen Kanya (Three Daughters) directed by Satyajit Ray (who was a longtime friend of her father's). [citation needed] She went on to appear in up to four films made by the director including, Jana Aranya, and Pikoo.
Four years after her first film, in 1965, Sen acted in Akash Kusum, a Mrinal Sen film where she played the part of Monica. Sen has been an imminent part of the Bengali film industry, playing the lead in popular films like Basanta Bilap (1973) and Memsaheb (1972) amongst others. Sen has also been a part of Hindi films such as Imaan Dharam (1977), Ek Din Achanak (1989), and Ghaath (2000).
In 2013, her film Goynar Baksho (The Jewellery Box) was released depicting three generations of women and their relationship to a box of jewels. It ran to packed houses and won critical acclaim from reviewers and critics.[9] Thereafter, in 2015, Arshinagar, an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet was released.[10]
In 2017, Sonata—an English film written and directed by Sen—was released. Adapted from a play by Mahesh Elkunchwar, the film examines the life of three middle-aged unmarried friends played by Aparna Sen, Shabana Azmi and Lillete Dubey.[11]
In 2021, she directed her 3rd Hindi film The Rapist, starring her daughter Konkona Sen Sharma and Arjun Rampal. In her interview with the Firstpost, she said that The Rapist will be a "hard-hitting drama that examines how much of society is responsible for producing rapists."[12] The film is nominated for Kim Jiseok award at 26th Busan International Film Festival to be held in October 2021.[13]
Awards
Aparna Sen receiving the Best Direction Award for the year 2002 from The President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
Padma Shri - the fourth highest civilian award by the Government of India in 1987.
Sen has served on juries at film festivals around the world. In 1989 she was a member of the jury at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival.[15] In 2008, she was elected into the International Jury of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. In 2013, she headed the jury of the second Ladakh International Film Festival.[16]
From 1986 to 2005, Sen was the editor of the fortnightly Sananda, a Bengali women's magazine (published by the Ananda Bazar Patrika group) that enjoys equal popularity in West Bengal and Bangladesh. From November 2005 to December 2006, she was associated with the Bengali 24x7 infotainment channel Kolkata TV as Creative Director. In 2011 she took charge as the editor of the magazine Paroma launched by the Saradha Group.[17] Following the Saradha Group financial scandal, Paroma ran into trouble. It finally closed down on 14 April 2013. Sen and her editorial team launched a new magazine called Prathama Ekhon, which was short-lived.[18]
In 1987, the then President of India, Giani Zail Singh bestowed the Padma Shri on Sen in recognition of her contribution to Indian cinema. Since then, she has received several lifetime achievement awards.[19]
