Jaya Aar Sharmin (2025) [Movie Review]: An Intimate Lockdown Portrait

Jaya Aar Sharmin unfolds entirely within the walls of a city home during the COVID-19 lockdown. Jaya (Jaya Ahsan), a celebrated actress hiding from the outside chaos, and her housemaid Sharmin (Mohsina Akhter) form an unlikely duo. As they juggle scripted lines, household chores, and scant contact with the outside—through phone calls or TV news—their emotional armor gradually gives way, revealing shared fears, buried guilt, and fragile hope.

Direction & Screenplay: Restraint Meets Intensity

Writer-director Piplu Khan, alongside co-writer Nusrat Islam Maati, delivers a study in minimalism. Eschewing dramatic set-pieces, the film leans on the power of stillness and subtle tension. Each beat—from whispered confidences to rising panic over news bulletins—serves to heighten the claustrophobic atmosphere. Khan’s patient pacing allows the characters’ inner conflicts to surface organically, though some viewers may find the narrative’s predictability a small trade-off for its emotional authenticity.

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Performances: Two Leads in Perfect Sync

Jaya Ahsan embodies her eponymous character with quiet dignity, her gestures and pauses conveying layers of regret and longing. Opposite her, Mohsina Akhter brings warmth and vulnerability to Sharmin, grounding the film’s more abstract themes in everyday realism. Their chemistry evolves from polite distance to sister-like solidarity, and each actor’s nuanced shifts—joyful laughter one moment, trembling anxiety the next—anchor the story’s emotional core.

Cinematography & Mise-en-Scène: Breathing Room in Confinement

Cinematographer Xoaher Musavvir strikes a balance between static framings and handheld intimacy. Wide shots of the cramped apartment emphasize isolation, while tighter angles capture unguarded expressions. Light filtering through curtained windows and a muted color palette subtly reflect the characters’ emotional states—sometimes drab and oppressive, other times touched by a hopeful glow. It yields a visual style that is simultaneously urgent and contemplative.

Sound & Score: Subtle Echoes of Solitude

Composer Debojyoti Mishra’s restrained score—marked by gentle piano motifs and ambient textures—underscores rather than overwhelms. Occasional swells heighten key turning points, though the music mostly respects the film’s hushed tone. Ambient soundscapes—the whirr of a ceiling fan, distant traffic—remind us of a world paused outside, amplifying the protagonists’ sense of seclusion.

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Conclusion: A Quiet Triumph of Emotion

At 3.5 stars, Jaya Aar Sharmin may not reinvent the chamber-drama format, but it achieves a powerful intimacy through its lead performances, controlled direction, and thoughtful design. The film invites viewers to sit with discomfort, reflect on the pandemic’s lingering scars, and find solace in unexpected companionship. Audience members who appreciate character-focused Bengali films and deeply emotional survival stories will find Jaya Aar Sharmin to be a subtly powerful and affecting journey.

Rating: ★★★⯪☆ (3.5 / 5)