Jaya Ahsan is known for her acclaimed roles in films across Bangladesh and West Bengal, but off-camera, the actress has spoken repeatedly about two things that keep her steady: her rooftop garden and her pet dog, Cleo. Both have come up in interviews over the years as parts of her routine that help her recharge between demanding projects.
Garden As A Private Retreat
Jaya has talked several times about her love of plants and rooftop gardening, saying that it’s one of the ways she stays grounded and positive during times away from work. Early in the pandemic, she posted photos of her garden and wrote about tending to plants as part of how she maintained a positive mindset during movement restrictions. A garden is a kind of stillness that a packed schedule seldom offers for an actress whose career takes her from film sets in Dhaka to Kolkata.
Her gardening hobby has also unexpectedly forged a connection with collaborators. Kadak Singh, Jaya’s Hindi debut, saw her bonding with co-star Pankaj Tripathi over a shared interest in gardening on set, besides having conversations about social and political issues. It’s a small detail, but one that speaks of how central the hobby is to her outside her professional life.
Her Constant Companion: Cleo
Jaya’s pet dog Cleo is no secret to her fans and she says she enjoys her company in her leisure time. Her social media has often featured snaps and posts of Cleo over the years, giving fans a peek at the actress away from the red carpet and film premieres. Her love of animals does not end with her pet. She took on the job of cooking food by hand and feeding two to three dozen stray dogs near her home each day during the 2020 lockdown, a routine that she kept up for a long spell even when she was reluctant to talk about it publicly at the time.
A New Aspect To An Old Face
Jaya Ahsan’s public persona is largely built around her versatility as an actress who has essayed award-winning roles in films such as Debi, Dubshatar and Robibaar, the last of which won a Critics Choice Film Award. But the constant appearance of her garden and her dog in her interviews and social media posts suggests a quieter, private side to her life. She was called “rabbit” by friends and family in childhood for her love of carrots, another small detail from a personal history which also includes an earlier career as a journalist before she moved into acting and modelling.
How It Works
The appeal of a garden and a pet for an actress who often has to work long hours on set and travel frequently between two film industries is not hard to see. Both give a sense of regularity and serenity that is different from the chaos of a film career. Jaya has never presented either as anything more than a personal preference, but the consistency with which she returns to them across years of interviews suggests they are less a passing habit and more a genuine anchor in her life.
