Konkona Sensharma has mastered the art of charming her way into people's hearts through her acting prowess. It's not for nothing that she has become one of the most bankable actors when it comes to meaningful, substantial cinema. (All pictures/Konkona's Instagram account)

Born to Aparna Sen, one of the fiercest actresses and filmmakers in Indian cinema, and Mukul Sharma, a writer and journalist, Konkona had her sights set on acting since quite a young age. Konkona has a degree in English from St Stephen's College, Delhi.

Pictured: Konkona Sensharma with mother Aparna Sen

Konkona was married to fellow actor Ranvir Shorey for five years before the couple announced their separation in September 2015. The couple had been dating since 2007. Sensharma and Shorey got divorced in August 2020. They share a son, Haroon.

While announcing their decision to go their separate ways, Koko had posted, "Ranvir and I have mutually decided to separate, but continue to be friends and co-parent our son [Haroon]."

Picture: Konkona with her little boy

It was in 1983 that Konkona made her acting debut as a child artist in a Bengali film titled Indira. In 2000, portraying a negative character, she made her adult debut in the Bengali film Ek Je Aachhe Kanya.

Konkona Sensharma won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 2002 English film Mr and Mrs Iyer co-starring Rahul Bose. Her portrayal of Meenakshi Iyer, a Tamil Iyer Brahmin, was widely appreciated.

Pictured: At Lakme Fashion Week with Mini Mathur and Sayani Gupta

Konkona made her Bollywood debut with the 2005 film Page 3. Some other Hindi films the actress excelled in were Omkara, Traffic Signal, Life in a... Metro, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Aaja Nachle, Talvar, Lipstick Under My Burkha, among others.

The stunning actress directed the Bengali short film Naamkoron. In 2017, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director for A Death in the Gunj, a much-talked-about movie that was released in English, Hindi and Bengali.

Ranvir Shorey was part of the ensemble cast in A Death in the Gunj, which featured late actor Om Puri, Vikrant Massey, Kalki Koechlin, Tanuja and Gulshan Devaiah among others.

Pictured: Konkona at the MAMI film festival, listening to Sharmila Tagore's acceptance speech

Speaking about the film, Ranvir had told PTI, "I always told her that she should direct because she had an eye for it. But I think more than me, it was her mother's saying which had an effect on her and she decided to give it a thought."

Pictured: Konkona, Soha Ali Khan at Neha Dhupia's baby shower

Konkona Sensharma was recently seen in the film Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, which released on September 18.

Directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, the film featured Konkona Sensharma and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead. The film even made it to the official selection of Busan International Film Festival.

Konkona Sensharma, who played Dolly, said of her character: "Dolly's life is one we see so often -- a bickering wife who is not satisfied with her husband's unambitious ways, the mother of two young boys who she barely understands, all while dreaming of a life of luxury that is far beyond her reach. While she believes herself to be quite the rebel, she is blissfully unaware of how deeply conditioned she is in certain ways. It's her journey of realisation and that to freedom that makes the story a fun yet heartwarming ride."

Konkona captioned this image, "It's a wrap! Goodbye Dolly. Thanks for the memories Love you Lanki! @alankrita601 #dollykittyaurwohchamaktesitare"

Konkona Sensharma will next be seen in the web series Mumbai Diaries 26/11, which pays tribute to the fortitude of frontline heroes when faced with unprecedented danger.

Here's wishing Konkona a very happy birthday!