Mona Singh: This is the phase of TV which I don’t want to be part of

Mona Singh started her acting career with the popular television show Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin and shot to fame overnight. Since then the talented actress has done many hit shows on the small screen. In 2009, she even made her Bollywood debut with the blockbuster film 3 Idiots. Recently, Mona ventured into the web space and tasted success with Ekta Kapoor’s show Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain. Currently, she is busy with the show’s second season and while she is having a blast working on the new platform, Mona may not return to television at least as of now. In this exclusive conversation with CineBlitz, the 37-year-old speaks about the web space, why she loves it and how different is it from working on a TV soap.

You recently said you want to explore your potential as an actor. Which role or projects in your career have helped you do that?

I started right from Jassi which was my first show and I explored there, it was a leap of faith that I had to take and I did. It was my first break and that time onwards I realized to not be in comfort zone and keep pushing yourself and keep challenging. Challenging myself keeps me going otherwise, my work gets boring for me. Right from Jassi to Kya Hua Tera Vada to playing a woman who is cheated in marriage to doing theater and now playing the character of Ananya in this web series Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain 2, all of them have challenged me to explore. I want to keep exploring web shows and people are watching it so I am really happy. I want to be an FBI agent, serial killer and more such dark characters. I want to see if I can do it or not. I have never done it so as an actor it’s a treat.

How was your hosting experience?

I have never done it and I was asking the makers how you want me to do it. As a person, we don’t act on stage and you are yourself. I am very casual, happy and not uptight so I don’t know how to be formal. They told me to be myself and have a blast and that’s exactly what I did and it was a cakewalk.

You have worked long for TV. How different is it from working on a web series?

As an actor, it’s completely different and there is no prep on set and you are directly introduced to characters and on the spot the script is given. But we do serials for so long that we develop a bond over the years. In web space, you get the script before the shoot and the actor is well prepared. We can change dialogue and I like the whole prep work before the shoot and that is what is very comforting as an actor.

What do you enjoy more – working on a TV soap or web series?

Clearly (smiling), I like prepping more so I like working on web series more than a TV soap. In Hollywood, actors take a break for a year or more just to prepare and it is really important. This is why even I like prepping and learning more about the character. So I am enjoying this phase where there are lots of workshops and I get to learn from the director and other actors.

The story of the series is quite intense and serious. Is the environment on the set also the same?

Not at all! We all work together and laugh together and that’s how work should be done. I forget how many hours I am working for and when will I pack-up because it is so exciting to do scenes with Ronit dada and director Kapil Sharma, Gurdeep and the kids.

TV serials earlier and now, what has changed according to you?

There’s a huge shift. Earlier the shows were bold and progressive which was carried on till 2006. It’s a phase that TV goes through – so sometimes it’s progressive then its regressive and then it gets mythological. I am still very positive that TV will come back with the kind of shows that we as viewers and actors were part of and this is just a phase. But this is the phase of TV which I don’t want to be part of. Once it changes, I will be back. I want to be part of the progressive phase.

Do you think female actresses don’t have as many interesting roles post a certain age as compared to male actors?

What has happened is that television shows women as the positive ones and men are just there for the addition. When it comes to Bollywood, it’s vice versa. What’s happening in the web space is that women are playing protagonist irrespective of their age and this phase is good with web where there are shows written especially for women. I would like to be part of this for a long time.

Is television going backward?

Yes, it is.

After the Pulwama attack, many celebrities are facing hatred for their comments.What do you feel about social media pressure?

I like to forget about the pressure and I don’t even like the pressure of posting pictures to increase followers. It is a beautiful feeling to receive love but it is also very terrifying to get trolled. So I stay away from complications and like to keep it simple. There are people who always wait to pull you down and who are these people, are you achievers? We all are doing well for ourselves and we are achievers and you have no right to sit at home, change identity and pull people down, it’s wrong