Bangladeshi actress Jaya Ahsan, a very familiar face in Bengali films on this side of the border now, made her Bollywood debut with Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's Kadak Singh, which was released on Zee5 earlier this month. Jaya goes candid in a one-on-one with IBNS correspondent Souvik Ghosh...

Q. Did you earlier get any opportunity to expand to Bollywood? If yes, why didn’t you opt for a project before?

A. Yes, I got offers from Bollywood earlier but the character I wanted to play, the depth and the importance of the story was a priority which Kadak Singh served me. I also got to work with great actors, especially Pankaj-ji in Kadak Singh.

Photo courtesy: PR Team

Q. What made you say 'yes' to Kadak Singh specifically?

A. Ummm... I think it was always my desire to be working with Tony-da (Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury). He has always been dealing in his films the subjects which are unusual, out of the ordinary and yet very captivating. The script was challenging for me. It was out of my comfort zone due to the language barrier but I love to take challenges which I whole-heartedly accepted. Moreover, I can't let go of a film featuring someone like Pankaj-ji.

Q. How was working with Pankaj Tripathi, that too on a debut Hindi project?

A. If we notice closely, our characters are interdependent and very mature. The relationship between Naina (Naina, played by Jaya Ahsan) and AK (AK Shrivastav, played by Pankaj Tripathi) is beyond physical. The relationship was so intense that one can feel Naina's presence even in a scene where my character is not present. He made me feel very comfortable in our intimate scene. He was very helpful, motivating, encouraging, appreciating but above all, he is a good human being, which is the best trait one can have according to me.

Q. ⁠Did you have any inhibition about the screen time in Kadak Singh?

A. As long as people are noticing my work, I am happy. I don't have any complaints.

Photo courtesy: Facebook/Jaya Ahsan

Q. Is this the beginning of many more Hindi projects for you?

A. Yes, more offers are coming and I am looking for more. If everything works, I will definitely like to explore this space.

Q. Do you have any plans for OTT? We haven’t seen you much there.

A. Yes, I think OTT is a great story telling venture. I want to work in this space more irrespective of the industry. Of course, I want to do some significant work on OTT.

Q. How would you sum up 2023, in the backdrop of three big hits in two languages in quick succession and the National Award back home?

A. I never count my years with work. 2023 is special for me for several reasons and releases. I got my fifth National Award, my films in West Bengal worked and Kadak Singh happened.

Photo courtesy: PR Team

Q. ⁠Tell us something about your Iran-Bangladesh joint venture film, which is presumably in the pipeline.

A. Fereshta premiered at the IFFI in Goa. It has a very touching story. The film was shot in a very crowded place in Dhaka. It was a very different kind of an experience where I had to mingle with fish sailors and be like any of them.

Initially, the language was a barrier as the team always used to communicate only in the Iranian language though we had a translator later. But with time, I felt communication was not a problem. We could understand each other. I think language can't be a barrier in performing arts. It was not dramatic but the film was shot like a slice of life.

(Photo courtesy: PR Team and Facebook/Jaya Ahsan)