‘I always love to work in Bangladesh’

Jaya Ahsan, a prominent actor adored in both Bangladesh and Kolkata never ceases to disappoint her fan followers. The diva is the undisputed queen of our showbiz industry. She bagged the best actress (Critics) award for her roles in Bijoya and Robibar at the Joy Filmfare Awards (Bangla) in Kolkata. 

In this context, Jaya Ahsan said, “Since my first work in Kolkata, I have been nominated every time. I received a nomination for Eagoler Chokh and Bishorjan, for Best Debut Actor, in the Popular Choice category, and I also received the Critic Award, which is a very big honour. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and border restrictions, it was very difficult to attend these ceremonies, but since the Filmfare Awards committee were so insistent, I had to arrange everything and go anyway after taking proper precautions. I did go on to win the Critic Award for two of my films - Bijoya and Robibar, and this is the first time two Critic Awards have been handed out at once in the Filmfare Awards.

Jaya told about how she started working in Kolkata. She explaind, working in Kolkata wasn’t something extraordinary.

She said, “It is quite simple. At the time, I was working alongside Mahfuz Ahmed on one of his films. I received a call from a director who said they were looking for an actor for their debut film where they would tell a story about six iconic characters of Satyajit Ray, and I got offered to play the role of one of these characters. At the time, I did not think about cinema too much as I was more focused on television. Once I found out about the director, I took a look at the script and decided to take on the role.”

Jaya said that she was not lucky to do the great works in Kolkata. She wants to explain it this way, “I would not say I am lucky, but rather, I chose to take on unique projects. I pick my films carefully and also reject many of them as well. My years of experience have helped me achieve this understanding.”

But Jaya always love to work in Bangladeshi projects. And she believes a person’s best work is always in their country.

“I want to note is that the working environment is fantastic over there. Even someone with a small role in the entirety of the work is prominent, and one person not doing their responsible work ideally, in a manner, can break the chain and ruin the project.” She said about the differences of working experience between Kolkata and Bangladesh.

“In Bangladesh, the industry has not been able to grow. Something I appreciate in West Bengal is the worth that is attached to everyone in the team. While we have great ideas here, they are more prepared and organise everything around the budget to avoid any hassle during shooting. Unlike West Bengal, it is hard to make a living here by only focusing on acting. However, times are changing, and new people are entering the industry. I hope they will make positive changes soon,” she added.