How far is your reality more real...

New Delhi, Sep 1 (UNI) Life is but a looking glass, a reflection of the reality so unreal from the reality we are living in.

But how far is your reality more real than mine? So echo the words of acclaimed film director and writer Aparna Sen.

In the capital yesterday to attend a screening of her film, 15 Park Avenue at the India International Centre, Ms Sen gave a retrospective view of the cinematic creativity so reminiscent in her film.

Touching upon the subject of a young schizophrenic woman in search of her 'imaginary' world which resides in 15 Park Avenue, the movie is a realisation towards the life, the day-to-day happenings of a schizophrenic person and others involved in the care and support of that person.

As the evening went by, Ms Sen addressed an emotional and moved audience. Hearts were rendered with emotion as to whether there was any 'cure' for this disease. Among the guests was Ms. Ratnaboli Ghosh, a renowned psychiatrist and founder member of 'Anjali', an NGO which works with mentally-ill patients.

After being asked as to why Ms Sen drew upon a particularly touchy subject, she reflected that the character of Mitali, (Konkona Sensharma), is in fact, a portayal of a real life person whom she personally knows, and instead of 15 Park Avenue, till this date, that person is still looking for 11 A Park Avenue. "Being closely related with this person, I started thinking about different perception of realities" she said.

From a directorial debut of 36 Chowringee Lane to an 'eye opener' like 15 Park Avenue, Ms Sen is different when it comes to making movies. One notices a great deal of imagination and dream sequences in your films, one of the audience members pointed her out, to which she remarked, "I like to play around with my imagination, and these are the times when I can play." Ms Sen drew praise from the audience who commended her for potraying films with strong Indian values and culture. She was asked why she chose the medium of language as English to which she remarked that she would only be too happy to bring across her films to all kinds of audiences.

One of the questions which everyone was keen to ask was the significance behind the ending of 15 Park Avenue. She replied, "15 Park Avenue became a metaphor for the unattainable. Perhaps she (Mitali) didn't find it. They all slip into her reality. So does it exist? I leave the end to question." As Rahul Bose's character in the film, Jojo, says about Mitali, "Poor child, she is looking for something that does not exist", and as his wife in the film answers, "Aren't we all.." give an eerie feeling to the fleeting truth of the statement- Aren't we really all living out different realities? At the end of the day, how real is my reality from yours? To sum it up in George Bernard Shaw's words, "You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?" UNI PB RP HS1516