Moon Banerjee on how 40s means being categorised for 'mother' roles inspite of being fit

Actor Moon Banerjee has been on the small screen for the longest time now where she has been in an array of TV shows that ranges from her popular role in the original Kasautii Zindagii Kay in the 2000s and then repeated motherly roles in shows like Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi and most recently, where she played one in Muskaan.

Now, the actor is all set to play Tanvi Malhara, the mother of the protagonist in Muskuraane Ki Vajah Tum Ho (MKVTH). In a recent interview, she first opened up on the reason for taking a break for two years as she said that nothing materialised in that time where the roles she was offered either the graph of her character wasn't satisfactory, the money deal did not work out and she also wanted to spend some quality time with her 10 year old son. She mentioned that after working for so many years, she wasn't ready to take a pay cut and her sincerity to her craft should be justified monetarily.

In the same interview with ETimes TV, Banerjee mentioned how she feels about playing a mother to actors who are of the same age or just a few years younger. To this, she said, “I knew that the day I become a mother in real life, I would become one onscreen, too. I was certain that I would be able to play it convincingly and feel the emotions better. Now, I work on television, and on this medium, you hardly see an actor in my league play her age. Once you hit your 40s, you inadvertently fall into the mother’s category no matter how fit you look."

She added, "Your physical appearance doesn’t matter, as TV shows are formulaic. I have been around for almost two decades, so I have graduated to the older generation (smiles). I have become comfortable that if I am wanting to work on TV, this is how it is going to be. I have to choose from what I am offered and if that’s how it is, I better play my part convincingly. I don’t have apprehension as long as I am convinced about my character. If the role is promising, the money works out and the team looks good, I take up the project even if the actor playing my son or daughter isn’t too younger than me. The challenge lies in convincing the audience with your acting.”

Concluding about the character in MKVTH, Banerjee said, “I have been playing a mother for some time but I make sure that no two characters look similar. Also, unlike Asha Bose in Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi, in which I played a progressive mother, in MKVTH, my character is subdued. I choose to find versatility in characters that might seem similar."

We wish the actor all the best for her new project.