From Jessia to Agent Rupa
Making her debut on the big screen with MR-9: Do or Die, the 2017 Miss World Bangladesh winner Jessia Islam is on a path to bigger things
It may sound like the most generic statement regarding any young girl, but Jessia Islam truly was one of those who just wanted to grow up and live her dreams of being in front of the camera. She is a model, with the ability and reach to be able to influence other young women in society who have a similar goal.
She always felt that working as a model in front of the camera would make her really happy and she will have an enjoyable career. Also, the power a prominent figure has over people always intrigued her.
"I realised that people in front of the camera have the highest power to influence others, having the highest reach to the audience. And maybe that's why it always felt interesting to me," said Jessia.
This very interest drove the 2017 Miss World Bangladesh winner to the stages of the oldest existing international beauty pageant, Miss World. Recently, she debuted on the silver screen as an actress in the movie, 'MR-9: Do or Die'.
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However, to this day Jessia believes she did not do justice to her potential or her country as a beauty pageant contestant. "I only had two weeks of preparation for Miss World. I had no idea how to represent myself, let alone my country. I am not proud of it, I feel I didn't do enough," she said.
Being homeschooled for the majority of her childhood, Jessia was not accustomed to the social crowd. She even contemplated pulling out of the competition at the last minute due to anxiety. She said, "I felt like I had everything, but I just wasn't ready."
Upon speaking to Jessia further, she revealed that other than being a fashion model walking down the ramp and posing in front of the camera, she always envisioned herself as an actress too.
"Watching movies helped me forget all the troubles in my life. Well-written characters and good scripts have the power to influence people and their thoughts. Making someone feel good that way is the best thing you can do and good scripts and characters can do that to people. That's what inspired me," said Jessia.
"I wanted to act as some characters, do some inspiring movies and projects that can be entertaining and also make people feel good about their time," she added.
Being an ardent admirer of Angelina Jolie, Jessia channelled her inner Mrs Smith as she bagged the role of Agent Rupa. Rupa is a spy for the fictional Bangladesh Counter Intelligence Agency (BCI) in the Asif Akbar directed action film MR-9: Do or Die,released last month.
When it comes to the movie, it must be said that neither the international nor the local audiences received the movie well. Jessia herself did not have the longest of screen times to make enough impact.
"I'm not happy with it. But I am happy with the opportunity I got and I'm trying to utilise it. Nothing happens if you do not take the opportunities you are presented with. You have to move forward," she said.
Jessia did not step into sets of MR- 9 without being properly equipped with the skills she required as an actress. She was involved with the whole project for more than eighteen months, during which she tried studying the art of acting which was previously unknown to her.
"I realised I needed some personal grooming when it comes to acting. I went on this random trip to India and contacted a few acting schools and I undertook some sessions. I don't think that was enough. I need to learn more. This was the first step towards learning acting that I really needed," said Jessia.
The shooting for MR-9 was scheduled to commence back in 2020 but the pandemic duly brought in a lot of changes in plans. That included several script changes which also altered the screen time of Jessia as Agent Rupa. She's hopeful that the Mausd Rana movies will get better with time and if there are sequels to it, she sure wouldn't mind playing bigger and longer roles.
For actress Jessia, she specifically has no favourites when it comes to the genres she wants to act in. More than the genre, it's the thrill of 'not being Jessia' in front of the camera that excites her.
"One aspect of acting that really draws me in is that you get to live a lot of lives at the same time. You turn into some other character, you try to view the world from their perspective, their point of view. It's fun not being Jessia, I could be a Sameera or a Mrs Smith," she said.
There is no point in asking Jessia what she plans or wants to do next in her career. She's not one to plan for the future, but one to just go with the flow. Ever since her first photoshoot when she was just 16, Jessia has only believed in moving forward by taking the opportunities she is presented with.
"I want to keep going and I may not know where I will be in ten years time, but what I do know is that I will be extremely happy regardless of what I do," concluded Jessia.
