Actor Mona Singh on exploring new zone with 'Kafas'

Actress Mona Singh became an overnight star with the hit TV show Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin. She worked in many shows and movies in the last twenty years but now she is playing a serious role in the social drama Kafas on Sony Liv. In this interview she tells us why it is important for actors to be part of hard-hitting, issue-based shows and films.

We have mostly seen you playing peppy, lively roles but Kafas is completely a new zone for you?

Yes, so Kafas is an Urdu word which means a cage. The show is basically a social drama revolving around a middle-class couple Raghav (Sharman Joshi) and Seema Vashishth (Mona) whose whole world turns upside down after a tragedy with their son. The story follows the couple on their journey to get justice. It raises a lot of questions - Is money the only thing to keep someone quiet and bury the truth? It deals with conversations about mental health and sexual assault in the society. I was really intrigued by the subject of this show.

Your last project was a short film on violence with women (Ek Chup) and now another issue-based Kafas...

It is always the battle between power and morality and what do you stand for. I think it is very important to be a part of such hard-hitting subjects wherein you get the conversations going. As an actor I feel it is our moral duty to be a part of such content because these things happen not only in Bollywood but everywhere. And victims should never be made to feel guilty. They should be free to talk about their story that people want to brush under the carpet.

You are also working with your co-actor from 3 Idiots, Sharman Joshi. This time the story is about you two. How was it and did you talk about the 3 Idiots days?

Yes, of course (laughs). The child actors playing our kids in Kafas used to ask so many questions about 3 Idiots. We were part of a blockbuster, evergreen film so Sharman and I would often break into our own conversations about the films especially the delivery scene because I was the only lady in that scene. All these men (Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi) were married with kids and they used to give me their experience - like how the wife had slapped him, or how the wife had fired them during the delivery (laughs).

As an actor your choice of roles has been unconventional right from the beginning. You rose to fame with your debut show Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin and there was nothing glamorous about it. Was it intentional?

I was very clear about one thing that I wanted to act. The medium wasn’t important as long as I was an actor. It was an overnight success with Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin and it was really overwhelming for me. I was just 21. I told my father, ‘papa they are not going to make me look good. They will make me look ugly (as Jassi).’ My dad said either this show will be a blockbuster or a huge flop but it is not going to be in between. So after the first episode was aired, I remember my parents were getting so many calls and messages and the channel telling me that ratings shot up. There was no social media so the reactions we were getting were directly from the people. When I used to enter my society at night after my shoots, I could hear the show being played in every house.

Was that your most exciting experience as an actor?

Yes, the beginning was so exciting. The show made me think that in life whatever I do has to be inspiring and has to convey a social message. I am of an opinion that we have one life and we need to do something worthwhile to make it a memorable one. That’s the reason I am selective about the roles I do.

Did you get the kind of roles you wanted because the industry has a tendency to typecast actors?

Yes, industry has a tendency to typecast but I haven’t fallen into that category because neither have I played a scheming mother in law or a cliched daughter in law (laughs). And I will never do that. This year I’ll be seen in four shows and each character is really different.

Is there a dream role for Mona Singh?

Any role that is different from one another is a dream role for me. I want to play a cop, a serial killer, an antagonist because people have always seen me in positive roles but I think they should also experience my darker side.

I want to act till I die and I also want to open a restaurant. I have a farm house where I have my cows, my pets, and I take care of them. I grow vegetables and I believe in that organic lifestyle.

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