Happy birthday Mouni Roy: A look at the actress’s journey from Television to Bollywood
A look back at Mouni Roy's inspiring journey, from captivating audiences on television in Naagin to making a successful mark in Bollywood with films like Gold and Brahmāstra.
Established Television Success as a Foundation The actress built her career foundation by working in television for more than ten years. She made her debut with Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi in 2006 and further went on to become popular with supernatural series like Naagin (2015–2017), which was a major turning point in her career. Mouni was able to make a calculated move because of her known success in a prestigious medium.
2/8
The Naagin Phenomenon and Super-Stardom The actress became a TV superstar after playing the shape-shifting snake woman Shivanya in the first two seasons of Ekta Kapoor's Naagin. Before making her transition from TV to film, she made a strong brand identity because of the series' success, which ruled the TRP charts and made her one of India's most well-known and reportedly highest-paid television actresses.
3/8
Conscious and Timed "Jump" to Films The actress stated that she made the "jump" because she felt "the time was right" and her decision to transition was planned. Even before her debut, she had received film offers, but she waited for a project that was "great enough" to justify leaving her successful and well-established television career.
4/8
Film Debut with Gold The actress made her film debut with the sports film Gold, starring alongside Akshay Kumar. Mouni played the role of a sharp-tongued Bengali wife named Manobina Das. The actress’s debut performance got her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
Taking on Diverse Early Film Roles The actress quickly secured other notable films just after her debut, showing her willingness to explore other genres as well. This also included Romeo Akbar Walter (2019), with John Abraham playing the actress played role of his lover and the film Made in China, starring Rajkumar Rao playing the role of a disturbed wife.
6/8
Breakthrough in Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva Securing an iconic negative role in the popular movie Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva (2022) was a pivotal moment in her transition. She portrayed her main rival, Junoon, a strong character that she said was among the most interesting she had ever played. She received a lot of appreciation for the role, was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress, and won an IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress.
7/8
The challenge of moving to impactful and shorter roles Roy talked openly about the difficulty of moving from a television role that dominated her life for years to a feature film. As an important transformation for the film industry, she said it was difficult to give up her "longer screen time" on TV for the sake of more "impactful and substantial roles" in movies and over-the-top (OTT) projects.
8/8
Embracing the OTT Space for New Opportunities The actress used the streaming platform space to play a variety of roles in parallel to her film career. She played a pregnant RAW agent in London Confidential, which was her first OTT feature film. In 2023, she made her web debut with Sultan of Delhi. Her scope and medium of work went beyond traditional television and motion pictures as a result.
![Conscious and Timed "Jump" to Films The actress stated that she made the "jump" because she felt "the time was right" and her decision to transition was planned. Even before her debut, she had received film offers, but she waited for a project that was "great enough" to justify leaving her successful and well-established television career.](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2025/09/20250928064034_Mouni-roy-ps-rhree.jpg "Conscious and Timed "Jump" to Films The actress stated that she made the "jump" because she felt "the time was right" and her decision to transition was planned. Even before her debut, she had received film offers, but she waited for a project that was "great enough" to justify leaving her successful and well-established television career.")
![The challenge of moving to impactful and shorter roles Roy talked openly about the difficulty of moving from a television role that dominated her life for years to a feature film. As an important transformation for the film industry, she said it was difficult to give up her "longer screen time" on TV for the sake of more "impactful and substantial roles" in movies and over-the-top (OTT) projects.](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2025/09/20250928064019_Mouni-roy-ps-seven.jpg "The challenge of moving to impactful and shorter roles Roy talked openly about the difficulty of moving from a television role that dominated her life for years to a feature film. As an important transformation for the film industry, she said it was difficult to give up her "longer screen time" on TV for the sake of more "impactful and substantial roles" in movies and over-the-top (OTT) projects.")
