5 of Nusrat Jahan's most captivating onscreen performances
She has been controversy’s favourite child and this has overshadowed her gradual evolution as an actor over the years. But, Nusrat Jahan has all the necessary skills to deliver captivating performances if a director utilizes her skills properly. Let’s just not talk about her personal life, motherhood or relationship status for a moment and check out some of her noteworthy onscreen performances.
On Nusrat Jahan’s birthday, we list out five of her most notable onscreen roles she played with equal elan. Read on…
Aditi in ‘Asur’
What’s life without shades of black, white and grey? And that’s the core theme of Asur, with an added dollop of Bangaliana. Within a good, original story all the lead characters sway between various shades of grey. Nusrat plays her part alongside Abir Chatterjee and Jeet quite convincingly and emotes right while riding on the shoulders of a strong storyline and script. The love-hate relationship of the trio Jeet, Abir and Nusrat make Pavel’s film worth a watch.
Smita in ‘Dictionary’
‘Dictionary’ is a film driven by some really good performances and despite Mosharraf Karim being the pillar of the film and Abir Chatterjee’s starry presence, Nusrat justifies her role perfectly. She plays a woman named Smita married to an introverted forest officer Ashoke Sanyal (Abir) and involved in an extra-marital affair with Suman (Arna Mukhopadhyay). This is perhaps her best performance till date.
Uma in ‘Bolo Dugga Mai Ki’
This Raj Chakraborty movie is fresh and entertaining mixing the essence of a perfectly fine comic romance and blends it with the tradition of our very own Durga Puja. Nusrat playing a hapless girl betrayed by her ex-boyfriend does a commendable job and looks gorgeous in traditional Bengali attire. However, the script barely lets her stand up on her own and make her presence felt. She has considerable chemistry with Ankush and the duo really shines in the song sequences.
Rani in ‘Zulfiqar’
Srijit Mukherji’s film draws from two Shakespeare classics, Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra, and it revolves around Zulfiqar who has the final word in the dockyard crime syndicate. Nusrat as Rani Talapatra is impressive and has the enigma of romancing a layered character like Markaz, played by Dev. Amid the long lineup of so many good actors, she holds on to her ground trying her best to deliver a relatable performance.
Meher in ‘Crisscross’
It’s a film about five women who can go to any extent to support their independent existence. Nusrat as a struggling actress Meher does a decent job and her beauty seems to be the reflection of the virtue and talent she keeps inside. Her character highlights the skewed view of how people equate struggling actors with escorts. With Nusrat’s acting skills, Meher remains indomitable and compassionate despite all the insults thrown at her.