Though the productions of the Balaji Telefilms have gone out of their way in taking women liberation a bit too far, the bad characters in tellydom have become a hit with the audience. Jaya Bhattacharya is one of the `bad girls` of television who some people love to watch while others love to hate. Such characters cannot be ignored at all as they are not credited for the loud make-up they adorn but the kind of impact they have on the audience and also because of the script.
The scriptwriter of Kyunki Saans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi remarks about the character of Jaya Bhattacharya in this popular serial, "Payal combats Tulsi`s goodness with evil". Hence the portrayal of the negative character in `Kyunki` has made her a popular household name, whom the housewives never feel tired crabbing about. The physical appearance of the negative characters also matters a lot in the dailies. Jaya was made to wear hazel colored lenses to give the tacky look on screen. Appropriate looks win half the battle and the rest falls into place. In the silver screen also she made a mark with her powerhouse performances. The actress herself believes that the `masala` in `Kyunki` is just because of her. She played Paro`s best friend in the award winning film Devdas and also did a strong cameo in the film Lajja.
Then again she had a meaty role in the much popular film Kyunki Main Jhoot Nahin Bolta directed by David Dhawan. But there is nothing comic about her role in the most popular soap of the television `Kyunki`. At present she is busy in wrapping up her new film Ho Sakta Hai that stars the much popular actor on Tollywood, that is, Victor Banerjee. She denies saying anything about her new venture in the interview, as it will spoil the fun of it. After her success in `Devdas` she has been flooded with offers of movies but she does not want to take up such offers at present as she is very happy with ongoing projects `Kyunki, Kesar and Kaisa Yeh pyar Hai. She should like to be a part of a meaningful projects rather than tearjerking soaps.
This versatile actress also wants to prove herself in roles that have the humor element to invoke laughter in the audience. From a lady playing a sinister vamp, such a comment was unexpected. But then she is always seen coming up with the unexpected aptitude. She has left an inerasable impression in her serials right from Zameen Aasman, Kahani Hi Jeevan Hai, Kaise Kahoon, Kammal, Koshish Ek Asha, Smriti, Virasaat, Kaisa Yeh Pyar Hai and also as a replacement in Kasamh Se. The acting bug has bitten her when she was very young. She was the only child of her parents so they were naturally overprotected about her.
When she had come to her hometown, Lucknow for few days during her tenth standard, someone who she knew from a music college asked her whether she was interested in dancing to a Holi tune in a tele film. As she was trained in classical singing and dancing she agreed to do the scene. Quite surprisingly her father agreed and himself took her to the director who made her do a couple of steps. Initially she did not participate and performed whatever came to her mind on impulse. The very next day her dad woke up early in the morning at 5 AM and told her that she should get ready as she was supposed to act that day. She screamed back saying that she was supposed to dance and not act. Then she landed up with a role in a play called Ek Hati Manu, which was based on the life of Rani Laxmibai. She was given the title role and she was very excited about it. She rehearsed for the play for three months, which she considers as a great learning experience. Soon after this she got her first break on television in a telly serial called Neem Ka Ped for Lucknow Doordarshan.
After that the programme was aired on Doordarshan as well. She claims that the beginning was nothing sensational and she was given to enact a scene, which had no dialogues. After that she was told to enact a scene, which had only two dialogues. This play progressed very slowly and gradually everybody began to like her performance and her character also began to evolve. But her twelfth standard exams began looming large and she had to drop the play midway. It was soon after her success in this play that she met Arun Bali who asked her to audition for Devi Chaudhurani, which was based on a novel by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. She had no idea about what an audition was although she witnessed a few comical moments during the audition episode but ultimately she was selected. Following this Zaheer introduced him to Manohar Shyam Joshi who in turn introduced him to Ramesh Sippy who was making Zameen Aasman at that point of time.
Somewhere in the midway she had also done a few episodic stories called Ashta Bhuji for Lucknow Doordarshan which had set the ball rolling for her and soon after this she got a few assignments for which she had to shuttle a lot between Lucknow and Mumbai. After Ramesh Sippy saw her work she bagged a role in the soap Zameen Aasman and then there was no look back for this extremely talented actress.
This is how the journey of Jaya Bhattacharya to the world of fame and glamour started. She began to meet people in the course of time and also initiated many social contacts. She then permanently shifted to Mumbai for eight days for a pilot to be shot by Bhappie Sonie. His father became unwell in the mean time so she had to struggle alone during those days. The eight days got stretched to two weeks and then to ten long years. After that she got her portfolio done and all the assignments were coming through. She was not at all interested to sell her glamourous looks, instead she preferred to entertain the audience and woo them with her acting skills.
She frankly admitted in one of the interviews that she did not hail from a very well to do family who can support her struggle in an expensive city like Mumbai. But somehow things worked out well for her and she tried her luck with the Balaji Productions to strike success in tellydom. First of all she appeared in the soap called Itihaas under Balaji Productions. She refused the role, as the remuneration paid was peanuts in spite of the fact that the role was good enough. She tried meeting them but things somehow did not materialize. After a span of few years she again got a call from them. She was offered Bandhan in which she played a mute girl. And she got a big break in another popular serial titled Koshish Ek Asha in which she enacted a brilliant role. She portrayed a gamut of emotions where her husband did not love her and she was childless.
Ultimately when she conceived and delivered, her baby died. And then came the turning point of her career, she was offered the role of the essential vamp in the widely popular serial `Kyunki`. At first she was shocked about the fact that they wanted to cast her in a negative character as she was known both in her school and college for her soft face. Then after pondering for a while she ultimately agreed to give a shot to this character irrespective of the fact whether it will be popular or not. This time the remuneration offered to her was also good. She is also thankful about the fact that her character is popular in the serial. All the spice in this serial is because of her. Whenever she misses from this serial for a considerable span of time the TRP shows a drastic downfall. In this serial she is to be wholly credited for the popularity factor, as it was herself who decided to work on her hair and clothes.
She also sported a typical haircut and sometime back she also had a `jooda`. Her character is so designed that she can play around unlike that of `Tulsi` who has to adorn herself in a saree in a particular way, wear a `bindi` as well as `mangalsutra`. There is no rigidity in her portrayal and she is happy about this fact. As of whitening her hair she is quite comfortable with this fact, as the character demands it. She declares that it was a part of her job and that she has also used it while playing Ronit Roy`s mother in the serial Kammal. She considers that she is also quite spontaneous in her character because she lives in it. She does not need to prepare herself for enacting a particular character. It comes naturally to her. As of `Kyunki` she has been in this for more than three years now and she is happy about the fact that she does not have to retire to a corner and keep her costars silent because she is mugging up her lines. This is what she believes as a spontaneity, which her character gives her to the full extent.
About admiring her character on screen Jaya Bhattacharya never does that, as she is quite aware of what she is doing on the shooting grounds. She does not weep over any scene of hers. She is very much aware of some scenes wherein she has not done a proper job by giving a wrong impression or skipping a word. But when she is working for a stretch of three days her mind stops functioning and she demands a break from her work in those times in order to deliver her best in the next shot. To make her mark in the industry she also worked for 72 hours at a stretch. In the time of shooting for Devdas she was also shooting for `Kyunki`, Koshish Ek Asha, Smriti and Kaise Kahoon at the same time. Sometimes it also happened that she fell asleep on the sets but never complained with the load of work that was assigned to her and not even failed in her commitments. As an actor she does not like her acting prowess to be divided into different mediums. The only factors that excite her are the role and money. As she has not got sufficient footage in the Bollywood film industry she would not be able to confirm whether she has enjoyed working in the films. In the award winning film `Devdas` she had only four scenes while in the film `Lajja` she had only two. In an upcoming film called Kisi Se Na Kehna she also has a small role to play. She is keen to do strong and weighty roles and waiting for the right opportunity. About her journey so far she is quite happy. She has met different people from the television industry and that has given her a very strong footage in tellydom. She also remarks that the notorious people has not been able to make an impact on her while the good ones have inspired her for the betterment of her career.
This extremely talented actress Jaya Bhattacharya is also very contented with her personal life. She is very blunt and open about her lifestyle. She is living in with her partner Mazahaar Rahim and does not tame any intention of hiding the arrangement. She does not want any bonding or children. She just wants to earn loads of money so this live-in relation suits her admirably. She is always reputed in the television industry as being the bold and frank types. Her eight yearlong relationships give her a lot of space and she is quite happy about this fact. She would like to adopt someone after a considerable span of time. She considers that there is enough population in this country and there are many children in this country who are yearning to get love, care and education. She is of the firm belief that is she can shoulder the responsibility of one such child even, and then half the work would be done. She really wants to contribute in making Indian a better nation. Her soul intention behind her work is to earn money and she wants to become a producer, be it films or in serials. She also wants to work for the benefit of stray animals and street children. This versatile actress does not need any introduction on the small screen. And it is her sheer talent that makes her character popular and has made her a household name across the nation. Her fans wish for her long life and expect that she continue to beguile them with her power packed performances in the years to come.