Jaya Ahsan: ‘Jhora Palok’s selection at Dhaka International Film Festival makes me emotional

Sayantan Mukherjee’s critically-acclaimed film ‘Jhora Palok’, based on the life of poet Jibanananda Das’s controversial semi-autobiographical novel Mallyaban will be screened at the 21st Dhaka International Film Festival. The news has made Jaya Ahsan who plays Jibanananda’s wife in the film extremely happy since it will now have its premiere at Jaya’s home turf.
“It’s great news.Finally, people in Bangladesh will be able to see the film. The selection at Dhaka International Film Festival is indeed a special moment. ‘Jhora Palok’ was well-appreciated at Kolkata International Film Festival. Then it released in Kolkata in July. I play two characters in the film – Jibanananda’s wife wife Labanyaprabha Das and Suranjana, a filmmaker. Slipping into two characters simultaneously wasn’t an easy job but I am so lucky to be a part of the film since it managed to push me to such extends that I never knew I will be able to reach out as an actor,” shares an excited Jaya.

‘Jhora Palok’ sees noted actor-director Bratya Basu playing the greatest Bengali poet of the post-Tagore era and Jaya says that sharing screen with Bratya was indeed an enriching experience for her.
Speaking about the film’s real essence and the significance of such a poetic film the Bangladeshi actress added, “Jibanananda Das’s poetry introduced us to a whole new world as his poems opened a new door of realization. There’s so much to explore and all these are buried deep inside his words. There are so many aspects in the film and the most important part among them is how how he created some of his iconic works, more specifically the inspiration behind his poems. Frankly speaking this is not a mainstream film. It’s rather a tribute to him. Also, it’s neither a narrative film nor a typical biopic. The director Sayantan Mukherjee has tried to explore the surreal world of Jibanananda’s poems in a whole new cinematic language.”

Meanwhile, Dhaka International Film Festival will run from January 14 to 22 next year and Jaya Ahsan is looking forward to the prestigious screening of ‘Jhora Palok’ in the Cinema of the World section.