Act II
What was it about Kya Hua Tera Vaada that prompted you to make a comeback to acting?
The serial came to me at the right time. I had enough of reality shows as I have hosted many and participated in a few. The only thing had left for me to do is to judge one. I thought it was time for me to leave the hosting to newcomers now! (smiles). Also, TV has gone back to the basics and we are seeing some beautiful shows on air like Bade Acche Laggte Hai and Kuch Toh Log Kahenge. When I got this offer from Ekta (Kapoor) for Kya Hua... a simple and realistic show, I didn't think twice before accepting it.
Weren't you apprehensive about playing a mother on screen?
I am an actor and I love to explore all kinds of roles. When I did Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, nobody wanted to look ugly on screen, then in 3 Idiots I played a pregnant woman, and now I am ready with three kids! I love taking up challenges and this role has been nicely written.
What is special about this serial?
If you look at the shows that are currently on air, they are about couples who are recently married. There the romance is young, whereas in Kya Hua.. the couple is married for 10 years. The show is about the changing priorities of the couple, the tendency to take your spouse for granted and love taking a backseat. As the title suggests, the show is about all the small promises a couple has made to each other and cannot fulfill, not because they don't want to but simply because there is no time. That is the crux of the show. I am sure many people will identify with it.
Interestingly, you are called Mona Singh only!
Yes, that's because Ekta doesn't want people to call me Jassi.
Who are you drawing inspiration from, for the role?
My mother as well as my sister, who is married and has kids. I have seen how they interact with their husbands and kids. How they wait for their kids to have their meal before they sit down to eat.
This is the first time you are working with Pawan Shankar who is also back on screen after a long time.
Yes, but thankfully Ekta (Kapoor) is clear about what she wants and Pawan is a very good actor. Pawan has been married for 10 years and the director Ravindra Gautam for 22 years. Both of them share their experiences on the sets and I am enjoying it.
When will we see you married in real life?
(Laughs) Well, I totally believe in the institution of marriage but I don't plan my life, so I don't know, but it should be sometime in the near future.
There are reports about you dating Vidyut Jamwal..
(Cuts in) I prefer to not talk about my personal life.
Among the reality shows that you have done, which has been your favourite?
It has to be Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa, which I participated (and won) and hosted it the following year. It was more than satisfying. I also enjoyed Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega because it connected me with the masses. There was a show called Naya Roop Naya Zindagi, which I had hosted and is dear to me. We used to give makeovers to people who really needed it and I felt like a fairy then. (Laughs)
Having been in the industry for almost a decade what is your take on the television scenario?
I started out in 2003 with Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi. That was a time when TV was ruled by the saas-bahu serials. Jassi started a new trend. Similar shows with protagonists who were not visually appealing were launched. After that, shows with a rural background took centrestage. I couldn't relate to them because I come from a different background. That's the reason I did not take up these shows even for a cameo. In the last couple of years, shows in middle-class urban settings like Pavitra Rishta, Bade Acche.., Kuch Toh... made a comeback and I started watching them. Kya Hua... is along the same lines and since I am from a middle-class family I could connect with it. A show by Ekta and aired on Sony, the platform on which I made my debut, it couldn't have been bigger than this.
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