'Guerrilla' actress Jaya essays Charu's role in 'Abarto'

With her debut Indian film 'Abarto' releasing today, well-known Bangladeshi actor Jaya Ahsan today said she hoped the audience here would not reject her as the present-day avatar of Charulata, the character from Satyajit Ray's film with the same name.
"My character Charu is not exactly a take-off from 'Charulata', and I simply am awestruck about Madhabi Mukherjee's portrayal of the character. But yes, like every woman of this age, my Charu also feels cooped up in the 'abarto' (cycle) and wants to move beyond," Jaya told PTI.
Observing that experimentation was more predominant in Bengali films on this side of the border, Jaya said, "Here the audience seems to be more receptive to multilayered films and their tastes are different."

Jaya, who got rave reviews for her performance in films like 'Chorabali' (2012), internationally acclaimed 'Guerrilla' (2011), besides 'Dubsatar' (2010) and 'Bachelor' (2003), said, "I am more at ease in portraying character roles."
About similarities between her character and that of Charulata in the Ray classic, Jaya said, "Both Charulata and my Charu belong to north Kolkata. Both are very traditional and yet steeped in modernity and I guess in both films the two are pivotal characters. But the direct similarities end there."
About the difference in working in two places, Jaya said, "I would love to work in both industries. We talk in the same language, the surroundings are so similar in the two 'Bengals', there exists the same middle, upper middle and lower classes.