Tuesday Rashichakra October 25

Work and career should be a primary focus at this time. There are opportunities to make good decisions--the clear choice is yours. You are at your most practical and what happens now may have a lasting effect on your life direction. Break the mold and try what is extraordinary today, but with real passion or persistence. You may be relentless in your quest to discover new insights--trying new and different things. You may decide to begin a course of study this fall. Things are happening and your career or path depends upon your own drive, which is strong now. This is a real time to buckle down and consolidate your career. Your sense of responsibility will be what guides you and proves successful. Cash is coming your way.

A business trip appeals to you because you can also visit an exciting place and have a bit of a vacation. An important relationship, perhaps with a young person or with someone in your near environment, may come into focus today. There could be an emotional overtone to all of this that may require understanding and flexibility on your part. Sympathy and understanding are emotional qualities that take on greater importance now. It's wisdom, not knowledge, that counts most. Everything points to your taking the initiative at this time. You could feel great support from those around you for whatever decisions you make. You may enjoy taking advantage of some social opportunities later this evening. You feel healthy and natural.

The power of organization on a social scale (business, politics and such) seems to take on a larger than life aura now. It's as if ambition and authority are answers in themselves, rather than only a means to an ideal objective. Careful--this can lead to deception, confusion and ambitious schemes that tend to become lost along the way. You will benefit from logical insights, getting to the heart of things--penetrating. You attract money today. Making money can take on an almost spiritual kind of power in your life at this time. It is as if making money is the reason for living. As soul-stirring as this may be, money can be disillusioning if you do not keep your wits about you. Sweet conversation and an easy-fix dinner may be in order this evening.

Rewarding days make up for all the stress that comes with the challenging days. Sometimes the stress is good in that it makes you move into new and perhaps more positive directions. This particular day is a rewarding one; you can enjoy the attention or benefits. You are willing to take risks and dare to be a little unusual. You will prosper through new insights, inventions and an independent point of view. Your career could open up by taking new approaches. Others value you for your ability to make practical decisions and today may be the time to dive into group issues. There is good fortune and plain old luck available now. There are plenty of opportunities to achieve your goals and you find yourself able to do almost everything.

This is a rewarding and challenging day. You will enjoy the rewards of your hard work, even though it may only be the good feeling that comes when you do your best. Yes, this is a rewarding day--new and unexpected events may figure in your living situation or surroundings this afternoon. There is positive insight about your support system: mother, father, etc. You may enjoy being taken into confidence by a young person today; you didn?t even know he or she knew you might be helpful. There is the possibility of new visions or sudden insights that will help this person move into adulthood and to have a good self-esteem. This is also a great time to help you and others to gain insight through historical or family research: genealogy.

Someone at work is determined that you are going to do as he or she says. This may go against what you think should be done. You will get through this by realizing where you are in the chain of command. Someday you will be wearing the other shoe, so to speak. Business projects can be easily completed with your new attitude. You begin to feel support from those around you. You feel good! Discussions about religious, cultural or philosophical controversies have a way of stirring your blood. Travel and adventure are compelling temptations as you dare to test your mettle and stretch your horizons. As you relax this evening, you may be quite pleased at how the whole day has progressed. Tending to the animals in your household promotes relaxation.

You may come face to face today with someone who has very different values than you do. You could find yourself cast in an opposing position and this might require compromise and understanding on your part. There may be some legitimate tension today--particularly since you are very focused on your career and your finances. The dividend for your ability to compromise and find an understanding is most rewarding. This is a good time to be creative and secure the positive. The negative you might be experiencing is probably from outside forces; however, by maintaining a positive attitude, you will really tune in on how to solve problems and get where you want to go. Keep a positive attitude. A family member wants your attention this evening.

It is your time to be recognized at work. Your hard work will soon be paying off and others will give you credit for your efforts. This is a great time to be with others in an atmosphere of work or play. You may be sought after as just the person for a particular job. Your management and directional abilities are in high focus. Quick answers, great wit and a surplus of insights and solutions are available. This is a good time to communicate with you own ideas. There may be an opportunity to speak in front of an audience tonight. Financial and health problems should see some relief very soon. You enjoy your friends and probably have many good friends at work as well as around the neighborhood. A friend visiting this evening does not want to talk shop.

If a loan is needed, today and tomorrow are the best times to put in your request. Difficulties, blocks and all manner of hot spots may have easy answers today--a little unusual, but inspiring. This is a very lucky day for making plans or decisions and finding your way through just about any problem you may discover. You feel successful and able to solve problems. Good advice from a guide is appreciated. Real insight into your own inner workings or psychology could surface in a manageable form. You may be in the mood for deep and penetrating conversations or thoughts this evening. Family members have a lot to say and it is all positive. The influence of one planet just now will help define the area of your life direction.

If you need professional advice, today and tomorrow are the best times to seek that help. Secrets, conspiracies and hidden links that unite all things take on a greater importance in your life now. Digging into the past for hints about the present and future uncovers a lot of answers to the questions that do not seem to go away. Instant gratification is one of the temptations to which you are subject to now: you want things and you want them quickly. Learning what really counts is an important lesson that may be learned the hard way. A feeling that anything is possible if you set your sights high enough characterizes the cycle you have just begun. You teach positive thinking and enjoy being a mentor. Your optimism makes you a good mentor.

Dieting may be a sour word for you so . . . spit it out! Try putting on a new creative, heart-healthy frame of mind. This is the time where the energies will be working in your favor to make any nutritional changes that are necessary--listen to your body. You have a lot of emotional energy now and with it there is self-confidence in how you express yourself. You demonstrate understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others and today you are in a good position to communicate concerning groups and society in general. You could be under considerable mental tension or feel hemmed in by a too conservative mental atmosphere. You may feel compelled to change your mind. Bucking other people's ideas may be in order, but do it gently.

Everything is run through your checkpoint to see if it holds up and can pass the test. You can be a stickler with details. Sometime today you may find that higher-ups decide you would be the best person to put in charge of research. This may allow you to leave the workplace and talk to people or utilize the city library or the Internet for confirmation on a story or dates. Whatever you are charged with to report, double check your numbers or facts. Some time to yourself without the usual interruptions of the workplace come with responsibility but you are pleased to make the change in your routine today. After a stimulating day, you may be ready to relax this evening but it would be better for your body if you put in some time to exercise.

Bangali Actress Director Aparna Sen 1945

Aparna Sen (née Dasgupta) (Bengali: অপর্ণা সেন Ôporna Shen; born 25 October 1945) is a critically acclaimed Bengali Indian filmmaker, script writer, and actress. She is the winner of three National Film Awards and eight international film festival awards.

Born	25 October 1945 (1945-10-25) (age 65) Kolkata, India
Occupation	actor, film director, screenwriter
Awards	Cinemanila Film Festival - Best Film 1982 36 Chowringhee Lane Cinemanila Film Festival - Best Screenplay 2003 Mr. and Mrs. Iyer Mumbai International Film Festival - FIPRESCI Prize 2000 Paromitar Ek Din Karlovy Vary Film Festival - Ecumenical Jury Award 2000 Paromitar Ek Din Hawaii Film Festival - Best Feature Film 2002 Mr. and Mrs. Iyer Locarno Film Festival - Netpac Award 2003 Mr. and Mrs. Iyer Locarno Film Festival - Youth Jury Award 2003 Mr. and Mrs. Iyer Philadelphia Film Festival - Best Feature 2003 Mr. and Mrs. Iyer

Aparna Sen was born in Calcutta to a Bengali family, originally from East Bengal (now Bangladesh). Her father is the veteran critic and film-maker Chidananda Dasgupta. Her mother Supriya Dasgupta is the cousin of renowned Bengali poet Jibanananda Das. She spent her childhood in Hazaribagh and Kolkata and had her schooling initially in South Point and later mostly in Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata.

She studied her B.A. English honors in Presidency College..

She met the Magnum photographer, Brian Brake, in Kolkata in 1961 when he was visiting India to photograph his Monsoon series. Brake used Sen as the model for what was to become one of his most well known photographs - a shot of a girl holding her face to the first drops of monsoon rain. The photo shoot was set up on a Kolkata rooftop with a ladder and a watering can. Sen described the shoot:

He took me up to the terrace, had me wear a red sari in the way a village girl does, and asked me to wear a green stud in my nose. To be helpful, I said let me wear a red one to match, and he said no - he was so decisive, rather brusque - I think a green one. It was stuck to my nose with glue, because my nose wasn't pierced. Someone had a large watering can, and they poured water over me. It was really a very simple affair. It took maybe half an hour.

Acting career

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 long time friend of her father's). She then studied at Kolkata's Presidency College.

Later in life she would work with Satyajit Ray in several of his films, including the short Pikoo (1981) where she played the role of an adulterous wife and mother.

In 1965, Sen resumed her film career in Mrinal Sen's Akash Kusum which was later remade into a Hindi film Manzil starring Amitabh Bachchan and Moushumi Chatterjee.Later she also brought out the different nuances of a widow in Mrinal Sen's Mahaprithibi'. From then until the end of the 1970s, she worked steadily in the Bengali film industry, as leading heroine of the time. She acted in a number of Hindi films as well during this time including Imaan Dharam (1977) with Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha. Aparna Sen was equally successful in the mainstream Bengali films.Her chemistry both with Soumitra Chatterjee in films such as Basanta Bilap, Baksa Badal, Chutir Fande were loved as much as her films with Uttam Kumar in Joy Jayanti, Alor Thikana etc.

In 1969, Sen appeared in The Guru, an English-language feature by Merchant Ivory Productions. She would make two more films with Merchant-Ivory, Bombay Talkie (1970), and Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1978).

In 2009, Sen appeared with Sharmila Tagore and Rahul Bose in Annirudh Roy-Chowdhary's Bengali film Antaheen. The film went on to win four National Film Awards.

Aparna as director

In 1981, Sen made her debut as a film director with 36 Chowringhee Lane. She also wrote its screenplay. The film, about an aged Anglo-Indian teacher living in Calcutta, won positive reviews from critics. For her debut feature, Sen won the Best Director award at the Indian National Film Awards. 36 Chowringhee Lane also won the Grand Prix (the Golden Eagle) at the Manila International Film Festival.

She followed up this early success with several other films, notably Paroma (1984), Sati (1989) and Yugant (1995). These examined the feminine condition in modern-day India from different perspectives. She also starred in Unishe April (1994), the film by Bengali cinema's Rituparno Ghosh.

Sen's next directorial effort Paromitar Ek Din (2000) was a critical hit and recalled the success of her first film. The film explored the relationship between a divorced woman (Rituparna Sengupta) and her mother-in-law, played by Aparna herself. It won a number of awards on the international festival circuit.

Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002), was a love story set against the harsh backdrop of Hindu-Muslim sectarian violence in India. The film won a National Film Award for Sen's direction, and an acting award for Konkona Sen Sharma, the director's daughter. The film won more awards at the Locarno, Hawaii and Manila film festivals.

15, Park Avenue (2005) starred her daughter and the actors Shabana Azmi, Dhritiman Chaterji, Waheeda Rehman, Rahul Bose and Soumitra Chatterjee. The film deals with a girl (Konkona Sen Sharma) who is a schizophrenic and her relations with her elder stepsister, played by Shabana Azmi.

Her next film named The Japanese Wife (2010), stars Raima Sen, Rahul Bose and Chigusa Takaku. This film focuses on two women and is based on a short story by West Bengal author Kunal Basu.

Aparna has made selective films and in the last three decades of her career, she has made only nine films.

In 2009, Sen announced her next Bengali film Iti Mrinalini, which stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Aparna Sen, Rajat Kapoor, Koushik Sen, and Priyanshu Chatterjee. Sen's last Bengali film was Paromitar Ek Din (2000). First-time screenwriter Ranjan Ghosh has co-authored Iti Mrinalini. This was the first time that Aparna Sen collaborated with any film writer or became attached to the curriculum of a film institute. The screenplay of Iti Mrinalini was an assignment in the Screenwriting syllabus at the Mumbai-based film school Whistling Woods International. It was also a major first in Indian screenwriting whence any screenplay from any Indian film institute was actually filmed. The film is awaiting release on July 29, 2011.

Personal life

Sen has been married three times. Her first marriage, to Sanjay Sen, was when she was quite young. Her second husband was the science writer and journalist, Mukul Sharma. They later divorced amicably. Sen is presently married to Kalyan Ray, an author and professor of English who teaches at County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey, in the United States. She has two daughters, Kamalini and Konkona—who is also an actress—and two grandchildren.

Other achievements

In 2008, Sen was elected into the International Jury of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The highly credentialed Jury, headed by a president of international distinction, determine winners from all nominations in each award category.

From 1986 to 2005, Sen was 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 1986, the then-President of India bestowed the Padma Shri to Sen in recognition of her contribution to Indian cinema. Since then, she has received several lifetime achievement awards, and served on juries at film festivals around the world.

Actress

Year	Film	Role	Other notes
1955	Mejo Bou
1961	Teen Kanya	Mrinmoyee	"Samapti" segment
1965	Akash Kusum	Monica
1968	Hangsa-Mithun
1969	Vishwas
	The Guru	Ghazala
	Aparachita	Sunita
1970	Baksa Badal	Minu
	Aranyer Din Ratri	Hari's former lover
	Kalankita Nayak
	Bombay Talkie	Mala
1971	Khunjey Berai	Raja
1973	Sonar Khancha
	Kaya Hiner Kahini
	Basanata Bilap
	Rater Rajanigandra
1974	Jadu Bansha
	Asati
	Alor Thikana
	Sagina	Secretary Vishaka Devi
1975	Chhutir Phande
	Raag Anurag
	Nishimrigaya
1976	Jana Aranya	Somnath's ex-girlfriend
	Ajasra Dhanyabad
	Nidhiram Sardar
1977	Immaan Dharam	Shyamlee
	Kotwal Saab
	Proxy
1979	Naukadubi	Kamala
1981	Thee Tamil starring Rajinikanth & Suman remake of Deewar	Anita
1982	Amrita Kumbher Sandhane
1983	Bishabriksha	Suryamukhi
	Abhinoy Noy
	Arpita
	Indira
1984	Paroma
1985	Neelkantha
1986	Shyam Saheb
1987	Debika
1989	Kari Diye Kinlam
	Ek Din Achanak	Professor's student
	Jar Jey Priyo
1992	Shet Patharer Thala	Bandana
	Mahaprithivi	Daughter-in-Law
1994	Unishe April	Sarojini
	Amodini
2000	Paromitar Ek Din	Sanaka
	Ghaath	Suman Pandey
2002	Titli	Urmila
2009	Antaheen	Paromita
2011	Iti Mrinalini	Old Mrinalini

Writer/director

Year	Film	Notes
1981	36 Chowringhee Lane	Won, National Film Award for Best Directing Won, National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi
1984	Paroma	WON National Film Awards 1986
1989	Sati
1995	Yugant	Won, National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali
2000	Paromitar Ek Din	Won, National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali
2001	Mr. and Mrs. Iyer	Won, National Film Award for Best Directing Won, Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration Won, National Film Award for Best Screenplay
2005	15 Park Avenue	Won, National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English
2010	The Japanese Wife	Released 9 April 2010
2011	Iti Mrinalini	Released 29th July 2011

Further Readings

• Parama and other outsiders: the cinema of Aparna Sen, by Shoma A. Chatterji. Parumita Publications, 2002. ISBN 8187867035.
• Aparna Sen calls the shots (Women in Indian film), by Rajashri Dasgupta. Zubaan, 2009.