By Nitin Waghela
Jaya Seal Ghosh, who had shot into limelight some two decades ago with acclaimed filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s Uttara and then went on to act in a string of films in multiple languages, was missing from the silver screen for long since she settled down for a busy married life with percussionist husband Bickram Ghosh in Kolkata.
But it is lights, camera and action again for the actress and mother of two. As the shooting of The Green Window (in Hindi) brought to life the Bose Bungalow in Kolkata’s upscale Alipore recently, the lady from Assam, playing an elderly Christian woman, was seen facing the camera again.
This time she also makes her debut as a co-producer of the film.
The Green Window is directed and written by Mumbai based Indira Dhar Mukkherjee.
The actor who has won several awards with films like Uttara and Alifa is portraying a character named Georgy in The Green Window.
On the sets of the film at Bose Bungalow, TWF spotted Jaya as Georgy, an elderly Christian lady, wearing a well placed Christian cross around her neck, a patterned shirt, paired with a plain black skirt.
According to the makers, the story of The Green Window revolves around Georgy Fernandez, 64, who lives in Kolkata with her son Simon, daughter-in-law Patricia and grandson Sean.
Simon, the only earning member of the family, moves abroad with his wife and son. His mother Georgy being a senior citizen stays back since her medical coverage and visa would take time.
Georgy shifts to an old age home as she is not willing to stay alone in the house where she lived for 35 years with her family.
After her husband’s demise, Georgy spent most of the time in the upbringing of her grandson Sean. Georgy is a strong woman and is happy for her son’s career growth.
She met “The Green Window” at the old age home which gave her a new dimension in life.
The film’s director Indira Dhar Mukherjee is an up-and-coming filmmaker who has collaborated with some of the big names in the Tollywood industry to bring her dreams into reality.
Revealing Jaya’s look, writer-director Indira says, “The Green Window is a research work of 20 years. It is an adaptation of the original story ‘The Green Window’ written by me. Life is full of surprises and the film will inspire many senior citizens to look at the brighter side of life.
“Georgy’s character is of a woman who is strong, practical and emotional.”
“The Green Window is a tribute to all mothers on earth. The character of Georgy is a combination of dignity and poise. Jaya Seal Ghosh is the perfect actor to portray Georgy on screen.
We are shooting the film in the original location from where the story originated “St. Catherine’s Home Kolkata inside the premises of St. Paul’s Boarding & Day School,” she says.
Alongside Jaya Seal Ghosh, the film also has Bengali actor Saheb Chatterjee who is playing a cameo role of Georgy’s husband.
The film is based on Indira’s understanding of Georgy, a real life character, who found herself within the boundaries of an old-age home as a result of her family’s sudden shift to the United States.
During the shoot at the Bose Bungalow in Alipore, Indira says, “We shot the film at a place where the story of Georgie comes from, it’s from St. Catherine’s Home, and we shot most of the film there.”
Indira also shared that she’s keen to send ‘The Green Window’ to a lot of international festivals.
On playing the lead role, Jaya says, “The director and the writing were some of the things that helped me play the character well, and by being a mother, I was able to catch hold of some of the nuances required.”
The actress adds, “Earlier experiences of theatre brought about the sensibility needed as an actor and it also brought discipline, while my background in Bharatnatyam gave me posture which I could loosen or change according to my situation.”
The background music and music of the film is composed by Bickram Ghosh and Rinngo Arnab Banerjee is the DoP, while Arghyakamal Mukherjee shall edit the movie produced by Priti Agaral and co-Produced by Jaya Seal Ghosh. (TWF)