Actress Mona Singh, who is still remembered for her iconic role of Jassi from hit TV show 'Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi', has gradually moved away from television and is currently ruling the OTT space with back to back hit shows.
The actress was seen in hit shows like Aryan Khan's The Bads of Bollywood, Mistry with Ram Kapoor recently.
Mona Singh is now gearing up to play the role of a police officer Dhanwant in Netflix's Kohrra Season 2, which premieres on February 11. She was in Delhi for the promotions of her upcoming show along with show's creator Sudip Sharma and her co-stars Barun Sobti and Rannvijay Singha.
In an exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol, we asked Mona Singh about her decision to move away from Television at a time when she was at the peak of her career on the small screen. Mona said it was a conscious decision to take a break as 'TV par sab kuch kar liya tha'.
Like Mona, Barun Sobti was also a famous actor on TV and was popular for his role of Arnav in TV show 'Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? (2011)'. He also left TV to try his luck in the OTT space and he also echoes Mona's views that 'OTT is writing good stories and offering layered characters.'
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Mona Singh said she doesn't mean to demean Television rather she made this move to focus more on her growth as an actor.
“There is a stark difference. You see, TV is more about quantity than quality these days. It's been more than a decade ki maine TV nahi kiya hai because I also wanted to grow as an actor. And it was a conscious decision because I also wanted to grow as an actor and do something different that challenges me," she told us during her visit to Delhi.
Mona Singh said she has done everything that television had to offer, which is from daily soaps to hosting and reality shows, and that she had reached a saturation point.
“Because TV par sab kuch kar liya tha - I had done a daily soap, hosted shows, participated in reality shows. It was time to take the tough call, leap of faith and move on," she added.
Mona says that leap came with uncertainty and waiting, but it also coincided with the rise of OTT in India. And the actress said the digital space gave her something television could never offer - time, depth and emotional layering in characters.
“Off course I had to wait for a couple of years for OTT to kick in. But my journey with OTT started with TVF, Ye Meri Family, that was the first show I did. What I really enjoyed was the layers of the characters, the nuances that comes with every character, and the long format. And yet not so long that it gets boring," she further said.
In Kohrra Season 2, Mona plays a layered, restrained character of SP Dhanwant, who is fighting her own battles while solving the murder mystery. Mona says its demanded internalised performance rather than loud emotional beats and it is exactly the kind of role she says she never imagined she would get to play.
“You work for three months and you put in heart, you put your heart and soul in it, you do your workshops, understand the character, shoot for it, take a break and start something new." Which is obviously not possible with TV. If your show is a hit, it will go on for several years. And I don't have the patience anymore to do that. I can't play the same character for years," added Mona while talking about how TV shows work nowadays.
The cast of Kohrra Season 2- Sudip Sharma (Writer), Barun Sobti, Mona Singh, Rannvijay Singha with Editor Entertainment, Moneycontrol, Sarika Sharma. (From Left)
Barun Sobti echoes her sentiment
On OTT, Mona Singh has done many layered and risk-taking roles. Starting with Yeh Meri Family, Mona moved easily across genres with Made in Heaven, Broken But Beautiful, Kala Paani and now Kohrra 2.
While clarifying that she holds nothing against television, she admits OTT has changed her completely and that 'patience khatam ho gayi hai.'
“Obviously I'm not saying anything bad about TV but it is just that patience khatam ho gayi thi. I cant do a daily soap and OTT has spoiled me and I'm loving it.”
Barun Sobti echoes Mona's sentiment, even as he remains firm that television shaped him as an actor.
“Everyone is happy with this move of mine. The good thing about the OTT shows is that ye log rajj ke likh rahe hai (writers are giving good content) and good stories. It's more exciting to be a part of OTT shows.”
But Barun says the biggest drawback of television lies in the writing process itself. “Writers ko daily likhna hota hai woh achcha nahi hota. Subah shaam kabhi nahi hota," says Barun.
Mona added to it that the scenes are written then and there which leaves the actors with no prep time: "Garam garam scenes aate hain aapke paas - ye lo and perform karo," she says.
Yet, Barun is quick to defend the medium that gave him fame and discipline. “TV is a zabardast training ground, kisi bhi tareeke se TV ko underestimate nahi kar sakte.”
In Kohrra 2, Barun plays a conflicted, morally grey character ASI Barundi, who is far removed from the romantic leads that once defined him on TV. The show allows him to underplay, pause and internalise, something that daily television rarely permits.
TV actors can never go wrong in technical aspect
Kohrra's creator Sudip Sharma believes actors coming from television bring a technical sharpness that few others possess.
“The TV actors are so good with the understanding of the craft. You will never see them fumbling for lines, they are always hitting the mark, they always know the light.”
Sudip says what truly sets apart actors like Mona and Barun is their willingness to break away from a mould that once guaranteed success.
“The only thing, I think the special ones what they are able to do is, that woh log performance ke uss mould ein nahi phass gaye hain, they are able to walk away from that.”
According to Sharma, Kohrra required performances that relied on stillness and restraint rather than theatrics something these actors were more than ready for.
“We did that because that was the need of the hour for that, but there is more inside me and I can also perform in other ways. I can perform if a subtler performance is required, I can do that.”
Kohrra Season 2 is going to stream on Netflix from February 12. It stars Mona Singh, Barun Sobti, Rannvijay Singha in the lead roles.
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