Arindam Sil on Jaya

Arindam Sil, Director, Actor

When I said five years ago that Jaya Ahsan was Bangladesh's finest actor, many took it as a very bold statement. Today, it is objectively true that Jaya Ahsan is the reigning queen of Bangladeshi cinema, and is highly respected in Kolkata as well. In India, we do not usually give national awards to a foreign actor. If we did, Jaya would surely have won one. I am happy, proud and exhilarated to be a part of her portfolio as an actor. As an actor myself, I can tell when someone has the potential to be truly 'great'. When working with me, there would be some scenes she would really worry about. But the moment I actually put her in the scene, she would put forth a display of baffling aptitude. She would later ask me, “Dada, obhinoy mone hoynito? (Brother, I hope it didn't look unnatural?)” She deserves all the acclaim that she has received, and I will say that she deserved it from quite a while ago when she was younger. As a person, she is humble and lovable. Everyone in my family really adores her. I am planning to do a very challenging project with Jaya in the near future, which would be a story based on the legendary Humayun Ahmed. I have a lot of love for Bangladesh and its people, and always think of your film industry as my own. There has been some misunderstandings which could potentially harm the brotherly bond that we have, hopefully we can mitigate that and look towards the future.