Actor Monal Gajjar, after working for nine years in six languages, recently made her Hindi film debut opposite Pankaj Tripathi. Monal, who was on her visit to Lucknow, where her debut film has been extensively shot, shared highs and lows of her life.
Monal says, “I have not learnt acting, but as I have seen a lot of struggle in my life, I try to translate it on the screen. To become a good actor, you need to feel it from the heart and then put it in the character.”
“For success you and your family have to sacrifice a lot. In my case, my teenage passed working. My only sister got married and I could not attend as I was in Big Boss-4 Telugu house then,” she says.
Monal, who started working when she was 15, says, “After I lost my father, I suddenly became the eldest earning member of my family with my younger sister and mother. I did a survey job and worked at a bank. I also started modelling and won Miss Gujarat. Then I did an ad which fetched me ₹4,000 which was half my salary. That motivated me to explore it further, but that dream was very big for me.”
Monal was suggested few ways to get into the acting field. “I was told that either your father should be someone big or you need to have a godfather to get into acting. In my case both options were ruled out. However, I was very sure that I won’t compromise with myself to get a role. So, I took the path of beauty pageant and reached one of the finals.”
{{/usCountry}}Monal was suggested few ways to get into the acting field. “I was told that either your father should be someone big or you need to have a godfather to get into acting. In my case both options were ruled out. However, I was very sure that I won’t compromise with myself to get a role. So, I took the path of beauty pageant and reached one of the finals.”
{{/usCountry}}She got her first break in a South Indian film ‘Sudigadu’ in 2012. “After a long gap I eventually got the Satish Kaushik’s film ‘Kaagaz’. I first met Satish sir in an award function in 2015. He praised my work and promised we will work together. In 2018, he called me for a Marathi movie ‘Man Udhaan Vara’ which was on afterlife of a rape victim. Thereafter he offered me this role.”
Monal has done Telugu, Tamil, Malyalam, Gujarati and Marathi films. Last month she has come out of BB-4 Telugu where she was among the top 6 contestants. She was also judge of Dancee+ Telugu.
Deep Saxena
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