Aparna Sen

“We have inherited both Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray. We love them and we respect them and we adore them, so we also have the right to critique them.”

“It is time that the female gaze made its presence felt both in cinema and in a world that's been driven by intolerance, greed, hate and lust. We need to make gentler, more inclusive films where multiple voices may be heard.”

“A lot of us were worried that the secular fabric of the country was under threat and it was time that citizens begin to speak out. Hence we called ourselves Citizen Speak India.”

“I'm very heavily trolled, but one learns to ignore such thing.”

“Mainstream Bengali cinema unashamedly tries to copy Bollywood. They forget that they don't have the kind of budgets that Hindi filmmakers have.”

“I feel scenes of sexual intimacy are ruined if the director is embarrassed.”

“Yugant' is not a feminist film at all. It shows how the disintegration of the marital relationship is part of a greater disintegration all around of us of ecology and values.”

“My personal fave is 'The Japanese Wife', because I think I achieved a lot of what I wanted to do. I wanted that Japanese minimalism in the film, which I managed to get somewhat.”

“We think we can control life by controlling our immediate circumstances. But we can't!”

“I only make films when I have something to say.”

“The very act of voting is a political act.”

“A musical by its very nature doesn't allow for a lot of nuances.”

“While I think love is a beautiful emotion, I can't make simple love stories any more. In the time that I have, I would like to make films about things that move and bother me.”

“I don't think I have too many filmmaking years left since I hurt my spine and knee.”

“This politics is bound to be reflected in the work of a serious filmmaker. When I make a film, I try to tell a human story to the best of my ability. I do not set out either to preach messages or purely to entertain.”

“I grew up in a film lovers' family and I have been watching the best of world cinema from age six.”

“I hate being late. I am always punctual. In fact, I am known for it.”

“You have woman filmmakers, who have a male gaze. They play according to the rules of the patriarchal system and make a success of it.”

“At the drop of a hat, people have begun to take offence. You can't write, paint, make films without worrying about some faction or other whose 'sentiments' will be hurt!”