Monica Chaudhary garnered praises for her performance in the family drama series Salt City which starred Piyush Mishra, Divyenndu Sharma and Gauhar Khan. She was also an integral part of Ekta Kapoor’s web series, Apaharan. Now the actress is set to make it big with her Bollywood debut in Luv Ranjan’s film Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar, featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor.
In an exclusive conversation with News18 Showsha, Monica talked about her journey with the much-awaited rom-com. She shared, “An opportunity like this, you finally get validated as the person and the actor you are. It was an incredible experience and I have no words to describe what I felt, working with people like Luv Ranjan, Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor and Anubhav Bassi who all are achievers in their life. They’ve already done it. So just being around them, being validated from them, to learn from them was an experience I can’t describe in words. For the past one and a half years, I have grown so much that I believe I couldn’t have seen that growth in the past years of my life.”
She continued, “They were so nice, humble, helpful and welcoming. For example, I have always looked up to Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor. Ranbir would always help me with my lines and cues. Similarly, Shraddha was extremely sweet and welcoming. They understand the fact that a debutant is dealing with their own insecurities and that she is trying to understand this world. It was a treat to watch them all perform everyday. To watch Dimple Kapadia do what she does. It was a captivating experience and gave me so much exposure.”
Monica Chaudhary further revealed that Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar is going to be a full-fledged family entertainer that is going to bring back the spirit of rom-coms that lost due to pandemic. She explained, “After Covid, people were unsure whether they would ever be able to watch a quirky rom-com in a cinema hall. So I can guarantee that a film like this hasn’t come in a long time and we all have been waiting patiently for that. Plus, I think Luv Sir’s sensibility as a director, we all are aware the kind of films he has done earlier. He is a hit film-maker. He knows his audience and he knows what works. You can expect it to be a full-on entertainer. This is a film that every person can enjoy. Everyone is going to love it and resonate with it. One can go and enjoy it with their Mummies, Dadis, Chachis. And what better day for it to be released than Holi?”
She went on to express,”For an outsider like me, it’s challenging to prove their mettle and capabilities. My struggle was such that I used to sign some projects and then would later get replaced. My family and friends would joke that I am jinxed. So when I got selected for Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar and even after being told by Luv Ranjan and others that I am locked, for six months I had this fear at the back of my head that even at this juncture I’ll get replaced by someone. But eventually once the major chunk of the film was shot, I had a surety that I won’t be replaced. And since I belong from Rajasthan. My entire family is excited and have been busy pre-booking their travel arrangements to attend the premiere.”
On being asked how Salt City changed her life personally and professionally, Monica recalled, “For Salt City, I had to gain 20 kilos of weight since my character was an overweight girl. So I got a lot of respect from people as an actor. To be able to do that with my body, for an outsider who is young and is trying to figure out the entertainment space was a hard decision to make. And rightly so since it affects a lot of things. It affects healt and it hampers with other opportunities that are coming your way in terms of offers and brands. I had to choose between the love I had for my body and the love I had for the craft. I chose the latter. It gave me the respect and appreciation from film-makers.”
She added, “It took me four months to gain all those pounds and then I had to shed it for Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar. And I didn’t even know how to do it. Luv Ranjan and all the makers told me that Monica we love you as a performer but this weight would not work. Kudos to my trainer, he used to pull me out of my bed. At times, I was too exhausted. And I did lose all that weight in that particular time-frame alloted to me for preparation. And then Covid came along and the shoot had to be halted because of that. Even I got Covid twice during that period. But I continued with workouts even with the fever because I didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity.”
Monica recalls that during Covid, she had lost three major opportunities to star in big projects since the lockdown happened and the makers changed their mind. She explained, “I wanted to be fit in that criteria that I put in 100% and then leave it upon the fate.”
When asked whether her journey that was filled with struggles had been easier if she was a star-kid, Monica expressed, “I can’t comment on whether my journey would have been easier because I don’t know what struggles do star kids go through. And it would very judgemental on my part to sit here and assume that their life is easy-breezy. The grass always looks greener on the other side but you don’t actually know whether it is green as we perceive it to be. Having said that, I am proud of my life and what I’ve done and achieved. I am happy that my father is a police officer and my mother does a bit of organic farming.”
The OTT space has given ample opportunities and fame to actors who otherwise couldn’t catch a break in Bollywood movies. Speaking about whether this change would come to mainstream cinema as well where more outsiders get to play meaty characters, Monica emphasized, “I believe it’s not the makers fault that they won’t cast outsiders. If the actor doesn’t have that fan base and the masses coming to watch that film, I would not be able to make money for the producers. I hope that change comes but unless you are a very good actor and you have a market, I don’t think that would happen. There are exceptions where content has worked. But even that is word of mouth. OTT has been a game changer for newcomers.”
Monica Chaudhary also wants to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it’s her dream to play a superhero one day. She stated, “I want to work as much as I can and with good writers. Writers are the star makers and the captain of the ship because they lay the foundation. I secretly wish to play a superhero. I am a huge fan of Marvel films. I like to watch them and get excited whenever they come up. So that’s my dream in the long run.”
Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar stars Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Anubhav Singh Bassi, Dimple Kapadia, Boney Kapoor. The film is slated to release on March 8.
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