Jaya Maswood (born 1 July), commonly known as Jaya Ahsan, is a Bangladeshi actress and producer. Starting her career as a model and, later, as a television actress, she currently works mostly in Bangladeshi and Indian Bengali films. She won

Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actress Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Actress ( bn, জাতীয় চলচ্চিত্র পুরস্কার) is the highest award for film actresses in Bangladesh. List of winners ;Key Records and statistics Multiple w ...

five times for her performances in the films '' Guerrilla'' (2011), '' Chorabali'' (2012), '' Zero Degree'' (2015), '' Debi'' (2018) and '' Alatchakra'' (2021). At the Madrid International Film Festival 2020, she won Filmfare Awards Bangla in 2017, 2021 & 2022 and Zee Cine awards in 2018.

Early life

Ahsan was born to A. S. Maswood (d. 2012) and Rehana Maswood in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

, Bangladesh. She has a younger sister and brother. Along with her formal education, she took a diploma course in

Rabindra Sangeet ''Rabindra Sangeet'' ( bn, রবীন্দ্র সঙ্গীত; ), also known as Tagore Songs, are songs from the Indian subcontinent written and composed by the Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize in ...

and training in classical music. She first appeared on television when she performed in the teledrama ''Panchami''. She modeled for a calendar which caught the eye of

Afzal Hossain Afzal Hossain (born 19 July 1954) is a Bangladeshi actor, director, writer and painter. Early life Hossain was born in Parulia, Satkhira in erstwhile East Bengal. His father, Ali Ashraf Hossain, was a medical officer. He has one brother Alfaz H ...

, who later offered her work on a promotional advertisement for the soft drink

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

. Afterwards, she left modeling and continued with her studies. She joined the newspaper '' Bhorer Kagoj'', a national daily. After a brief stint at a children's school, she returned to modelling. Thereafter, she worked in

Giasuddin Selim Giasuddin Selim is a Bangladeshi film director and screenwriter. He is best known for directing ''Monpura'' (2009) and '' Swapnajaal'' (2018). He won Bangladesh National Film Award twice: Best Story for the film ''Adhiar'' (2003) in 2003 and Bes ...

's ''Shongshoy''. She also practices crafting and painting, which she demonstrated in art house productions like ''Enechhi Shurjer Hashi''.

Career

Television

Ahsan first appeared on television in an ad for Coca-Cola in 1997. She debuted her acting career on television through the drama ''Panchomi'', written by Shahidul Haque Khan. Having begun her career as a model in the late 1990s, Ahsan has since worked in numerous television dramas and serials. She established her reputation as an actress with roles as Monika in ''Labonyo Probha'', Pushpo in

Toukir Ahmed Tauquir Ahmed (born 5 March 1966) is a Bangladeshi architect and actor, turned director in both television and cinema. His films won many international and national awards including Bangladesh National Film Awards in the Best Director, Best Scr ...

and Bipasha Hayat's teleplay ''Shonkhobash'', and in ''Hatkura''. She found ''Hatkura'', set on the edge of a village in

Rangpur District Rangpur ( bn, রংপুর) is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division. Geography Under the Rangpur Division (one of eight divisions) composed of eight districts of northern Bangladesh, the District of Rangpur ...

, a challenge. "I had to learn the dialect of Rangpur for the role. Actually, I had never been to a village before that. And it was a completely new experience for me", she said. In

Channel i Channel i ( bn, চ্যানেল আই) is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable television channel owned by Impress Group. It was launched on 1 October 1999, as Bangladesh's first digital television channel. It is one of the ...

's 2010-2011 serial ''Choita Pagol'', she played the role of rural woman Alta. Ahsan said, "Alta is one of my favourite characters. I liked playing the role." Her performance in Mejbaur Rahman Sumon's ''Tarporo Angurlata Nondoke Bhalobashe'' also cemented her position as an actress. She portrayed various characters in teledramas including: ''Sixty Nine (69)'', ''Tevaga'', ''Shahortolir Alo'', ''Tarpor Paruler Deen'', ''Amader Choto Nodi'', ''Mayesha'', ''Jostna, Nodi Othoba Roshider Kichu Kolpo Drisyo, Amader Golpo'' and many more. Ahsan played the role of a sex worker in the television play ''Tarporo Angurlata Nando Ke Bhalobashey'' in 2009.

Film

Ahsan debuted her film career as a guest artiste in the film ''

Bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...

(2004)'', directed by

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (born 2 May 1973) is a Bangladeshi film director, producer and screenwriter. His films ''Third Person Singular Number'', ''Television'', ''No Bed Of Roses'' were critically acclaimed across the world and received numero ...

. As the lead actress, she debuted in Nasiruddin Yousuff's film '' Guerrilla'' (2011)). Adapted from the novel ''Nishiddho Loban'' by Syed Shamsul Huq, the film was based on the events of the Bangladesh Liberation War. It narrates the tale of Bilkis Banu, played by Ahsan, a freedom fighter, who actively participates in the Liberation War while searching for her lost husband. The film won National Film Awards in ten categories, including the Best Actress Award for Ahsan. Ahsan's second film, '' Chorabali'' (2012), was an action thriller directed by

Redoan Rony Redoan Rony is a Bangladeshi film director, producer and media executive who currently serves as the Chief operating officer of Chorki. He has spent more than a decade in the media industry of Bangladesh. He has directed a few of the most popula ...

. She portrayed Noboni Afroz, a journalist, and won her second National Film Award for Best Actress Award. In 2013, Ahsan acted in an Indian Bangla film titled ''

Aborto ''Aborto'' is a Bengali film released on 1 March 2013 and directed by Arindam Sil in his directorial debut. According to Sil, this film would be the greatest tribute to Satyajit Ray that has ever been made. The film stars Bangladesh actress Jaya ...

'', directed by Arindam Sil. She was nominated for the

Filmfare Awards East Filmfare Awards Bangla is the Bengali segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour the artistic and cinematic excellence in Bengali. The first installment of the awards were held for Bengali, Assamese and Odia ...

for Best Debut Performance Female for her role in the film. She also received an official invitation to attend the '' 66th Cannes Film Festival''. In the same year, she appeared in ''

Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini ''Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini'' () also known by initialism as PDPK, is a 2013 Bangladeshi romance film written by Rumman Rashid Khan and directed by Shafi Uddin Shafi. The film stars Shakib Khan, Joya Ahsan, and Arifin Shuvoo with Razzak, Anwara ...

'', a Bangladeshi romantic film directed by Shafi Uddin Shafi. It was her first Bangladeshi film in collaboration with Shakib Khan. They both starred in its sequel, '' Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini 2'', released in 2015. After a one-year break '' Zero Degree'' was her next venture. The film is a psychological thriller written and directed by

Animesh Aich Animesh Aich (born 8 February) is a Bangladeshi film maker, actor, director and writer. He won the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Art Direction for the film '' Guerrilla'' (2011). As of 2019, he directed three films and several televisi ...

and was released on 15 January 2015. Ahsan won a National Film Award for best actress for her performance in the film. In 2015, Ahsan worked in two other Indian Bangla films — ''

Rajkahini ''Rajkahini'' (English: ''Tale of Kings'', can also be called ''Tale of the Raj'') is an Indian Bengali-language historical drama film directed by Srijit Mukherji. The shooting of the film completed in June 2015 and the film released on 16 Oct ...

'' based on the 1947 east and west Bengal separation directed by Srijit Mukherji and ''Ekti Bangali Bhuter Goppo,'' a psycho-horror film directed by Indranil Roychowdhury. ''Ekti Bangali Bhuter Golpo'' was set for a world TV premier in Kolkata on 17 May in Zee Bangla Cinema. Jaya's much anticipated ''

'' starring alongside

Rituparna Sengupta Rituparna Sengupta is an Indian actress and producer who is known for her work in Bengali cinema and Hindi cinema. One of the most successful actresses of Bengali cinema, she rode the crest of her box office success in the late 1990s. She won ...

Abir Chatterjee Abir Chatterjee (born 18 November 1980) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Bengali cinema. He is the son of theater personalities Phalguni Chatterjee and Rumki Chatterjee. He started his career with Bengali television and made his debut i ...

, Parno Mittra, Sohini Sarkar,

Rajatava Dutta Rajatava Dutta (Bengali: রজতাভ দত্ত; born 11 August 1967) is an Indian actor who appears in Bengali, Hindi and English films. He is often regarded as one of the most celebrated and respected Bengali actors of his generation. O ...

and many others was released on 16 October 2015. In 2017, Ahsan acted in '' Bishorjan'' alongside

and

Kaushik Ganguly Kaushik Ganguly (born 4 August 2012) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor in Bengali cinema. Multiple National Award winner Actor-Director, Kaushik Ganguly is known for making films that explore various aspects sexuality, like ' ...

directed by Kaushik Ganguly himself, for which she received awards including Filmfare Awards (first Bangladeshi to win so),

Zee Cine Awards The Zee Cine Award (ZCA) is an Indian awards ceremony for the Hindi film industry. They were instituted in November 1997 to award "Excellence in cinema - the democratic way". They were first held in Mumbai until 2004, when the ZCA went internat ...

and

BFJA Awards Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards commonly referred as BFJA Awards, is given by The Bengal Film Journalists' Association. The BFJA is the oldest association of film critics in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ) ...

for her performance portraying the character of Padma. In the same year, Jaya was honoured with the ABP Ananda Sera Bangali for achievement in acting. Her other two releases that year are Akram Khan's '' Khacha: The Cage'' and Manoj Michigan's ''Ami Joy Chatterjee.'' In 2018, Ahsan performed in a courtroom drama ''

Ek Je Chhilo Raja ''Ek Je Chhilo Raja'' is an Indian Bengali drama film directed by Srijit Mukherji, under the banner of SVF Entertainment Pvt Ltd, starring Jisshu Sengupta in the titular role of Maharaja Mahendra Kumar Chowdhury as well as the Bhawal sanyasi ...

'' based on the historic

Bhawal case Bhawal Estate was the second largest zamindari in Bengal (in modern-day Bangladesh) until it was abolished according to ''East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950''. History In the late 17th century, Daulat Ghazi was the zamind ...

directed by Srijit Mukjerji in a star cast including

Jisshu Sengupta Jisshu Ujjwal Sengupta (born 15 March 1977) is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter. who predominantly works in Bengali, Hindi and Telugu films. Sengupta made his debut through a Bengali TV series, '' Mahaprabhu'' where he portray ...

Aparna Sen Aparna Sen (, ''Ôporna Shen'') is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has received several accolades as an actress and filmmaker, including nine National Film Awards, five F ...

, Anjan Dutt,

Rudranil Ghosh Rudranil Ghosh is an Indian actor who works primarily in Bengali films. Education Rudranil Ghosh completed his early education at Santragachi Kedarnath Institution, Howrah under West Bengal State Board. He graduated from the Narasinha Dutt Col ...

and others. She was also seen in ''

Crisscross ''CrissCross'' is a 1992 American drama film directed by Chris Menges and written by Scott Sommer, based on his homonymous novel. It stars Goldie Hawn, Arliss Howard, Keith Carradine, Steve Buscemi, and David Arnott. Plot Divorced mom T ...

'' alongside

Mimi Chakraborty Mimi Chakraborty (born 11 February 1989) is an Indian actress, singer and politician. She is known for her work in Bengali cinema and television. Her debut film was Bapi Bari Jaa in which she played the female lead, Dola. She was listed as ...

and

Nusrat Jahan Nusrat Jahan Ruhi (born 8 January 1990) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Bengali cinema. In 2019, Jahan became actively involved in politics and was elected as Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Basirhat constituency as a Tri ...

, directed by

Birsa Dasgupta Birsa Dasgupta (born 2 November 1979) is an Indian Bengali film director based in Tollywood.He is well known for directing films such as Shudhu Tomari Jonyo, Gangster, Psycho (2021 film) Early life Born in Kolkata, his grandfather was not ...

. ''Debi'', a film based on

Humayun Ahmed Humayun Ahmed (; 13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi novelist, dramatist, screenwriter, filmmaker, songwriter, scholar, and professor. His breakthrough was his debut novel '' Nondito Noroke'' published in 1972. He wrote over 20 ...

's novel, was released on 19 October 2018. It is directed by Anam Biswas, starring Chanchal Chowdhury, Ahsan and

Sabnam Faria Sabnam Faria is a Bangladeshi film and drama actress and model, who appears in Bengali drama. Personal life Faria was born in Dhaka on 14 March. She graduated with a degree in English from Eastern University. Her ancestral residence was in Mand ...

in the lead roles. The film was produced by Ahsan, as her first production from her production house ''C Te Cinema''. She received her fourth National Film Award for Best Actress and her seventh Meril Prothom Alo Award for Best Film Actress (Critics Choice) for her performance in this film. In 2019, her first release was

's '' Bijoya'', sequel to '' Bishorjan'' for which she won the Tele Cine Awards for Best Actress and Best Jodi alongside her co-star

''.'' Then she was seen in Arnab Paul's debut ''Brishty Tomakey Dilam,'' a psychological thriller based on split personality disorder. She received the 'Dashobhuja Bangali 2019' award from the St. Xavier's College Calcutta Alumni Association. Next she did ''

Konttho ''Konttho'' ( en, Voice) is a 2019 Bengali drama film directed by Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee. The movie is produced by Windows Production. Plot A story of friendship, a story of struggle, Konttho is about the indomitable human sp ...

'' which released on 10 May directed by

Nandita Roy Nandita Roy (born April 3, 1955) is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter. She made her directorial debut with the film ''Icche'' (2011) along with her co-director Shiboprosad Mukherjee. The two have also directed '' Accident'', '' Muktodhara' ...

and

Shiboprosad Mukherjee Shiboprosad Mukherjee (, Bengali: ; born 20 May 1974) is an Indian film director, writer and actor. He, collaborating with Nandita Roy, debuted with their film '' Icche'', which garnered both critical acclaim as well as commercial success. Th ...

starring

himself,

Paoli Dam Paoli Dam (born 1980) is an Indian actress who started her career with the Bengali television serial ''Jibon Niye Khela'' (2003). She then worked in Bengali television serials such as ''Tithir Atithi'' and ''Sonar Harin''; the former ran for ...

where Jaya plays the role of a speech therapist. After that she teamed up with

Atanu Ghosh Atanu Ghosh is an Indian filmmaker. His Bengali film '' Mayurakshi'' (2017) was awarded the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali. His film Angshumaner Chhobi, Mayurakshi, Binisutoy, Abby Sen and Rupkatha Noy, bagged multiple ...

for his upcoming movie ''Bini Sutoy'' alongside

Ritwick Chakraborty Ritwick Chakraborty is an Indian actor who works in Bengali cinema. He made his debut with Pagol Premi in 2007. He plays different roles in different sorts of movies, so he is a versatile actor in Bengali Film Industry. Career Chakraborty wa ...

where she will also do a playback. Jaya again worked with

next film titled '' Robibar'' starring with

Prosenjit Chatterjee Prosenjit Chatterjee (born 30 September 1962) is an Indian actor and producer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading actors in modern Bengali cinema. He predominantly works in Bengali cinema . He is the son of veteran Bollywood actor Bis ...

for the first time. She has finished

Soukarya Ghosal Soukarya Ghosal ( bn, সৌকর্য ঘোষাল; born 7 June 1986) is an Indian filmmaker, director, screenwriter, illustrator and music composer. He is widely considered for his work in Rainbow Jelly, a food fantasy film for the child ...

's fantasy horror ''Bhoot Pori'' and is shooting for

's next titled ''Ardhangini'' starring alongside

Churni Ganguly Churni Ganguly (née Banerjee) is a Bengali actress and director. After spending her childhood in Kurseong, she came to Kolkata and got admitted at the Jadavpur University. While studying at Jadavpur University, she joined a theatre group as a ...

. She wrapped up filming ''Alatchakra'', the first 3D Bengali movie directed by Habibur Rahman based on the novel by

Ahmed Sofa Ahmed Sofa ( bn, আহমদ ছফা, ; 30 June 194328 July 2001) was a Bangladeshi writer, thinker, novelist, poet, philosopher and public intellectual. Sofa is considered by many, including National Professor Abdur Razzaq (Professor), Abdur ...

. She recently worked with Piplu Khan on his first feature film based on the current pandemic.

Playback

Ahsan is also a singer and took diploma courses in Indian classical music and Rabindra Sangeet. She did playback in few films, such as "Tomer Khola Hawa" in ''Dubshatar'' and "Jongoler Daak" in ''Mesidona''.

Other activities

Ahsan is a craftswoman and a visual-artist, which she demonstrated in art-house movie productions like ''Enechhi Shurjer Hashi''. She was chosen as a brand ambassador for

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

(US Agency for International Development) to help women and children. In 2019, Ahsan was chosen as the brand ambassador of Bangamata U-19 Women's International Gold Cup.

Personal life

Ahsan married Faisal, a television model, on 14 May 1998. The couple was also seen in same television ad. Together they ran an

event management Event management is the application of project management to the creation and development of small and/or large-scale personal or corporate events such as festivals, conferences, ceremonies, weddings, formal parties, concerts, or conventions. ...

company. She divorced Faisal in 2012.

Works

Films

Television

Series

Telefilms

Web series

* '' Paanch Phoron''

Awards and nominations

National Film Awards

Meril Prothom Alo Awards ''Meril Prothom Alo Awards'' or ''Prothom Alo Awards'' is an annual Bangladeshi awards ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in Bangladeshi Film Industry. The awards are divided into two components, Viewers' Choice and Critics' Choice. The a ...

Bachsas Awards Bachsas ( Bangladesh Cholochitra Sangbadik Samity) Awards was introduced in 1972 to encourage the fledgling film industry of the country. Bangladesh Cholochchitra Shangbadik Samity (Bangladesh Cine-Journalists' Association) gave out their most p ...

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards

Tele Cine Awards International Bangla Film Critic Award ABP Ananda Sera Bangali Award

Dhaka International Film Festival Dhaka International Film Festival ( bn, ঢাকা আন্তর্জাতিক চলচ্চিত্র উৎসব) is a biennial film festival held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1992, the festival was initially organized on a ...

Lux Channel i Performance Award CJFB Performance Award Charuniram Award

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahsan, Jaya Living people People from Dhaka Bangladeshi film actresses Bangladeshi television actresses Best Actress National Film Awards (Bangladesh) winners Best Actress Bachsas Award winners Best Film Actress Meril-Prothom Alo Award winners Best TV Actress Meril-Prothom Alo Award winners Best TV Actress Meril-Prothom Alo Critics Choice Award winners Actresses in Bengali cinema Bengali television actresses Bangladeshi expatriate actresses in India 21st-century Bangladeshi actresses Year of birth missing (living people)