"People want my gawkiness and clumsiness to remain!"

Mona Singh lets her hair down, finally. Vickey Lalwani caught up with her for a tete-a-tete.

Excerpts:

Are you happy with your makeover?
I am very happy. I have had a new birth. I am getting positive feedback as well. You will be surprised that people still want my gawkiness and clumsiness to remain. Those traits may come back in the script later, I know.

That's interesting......but tell us something about the makeover that has not been shown on screen?
I was shooting till 10 pm that day. And I was asked to visit the beauty parlour for the new haircut! I was at the parlour till 2 am. Next morning at 5.30 am, I was asked to report back on the sets. In that short time, I was supposed to enjoy my haircut (laughs).

How many hairstyles did you try before you hit upon the right one?
Quite a few. That was a bit exasperating. My current hairstyle will not last long. I will be changing it, in fact, quite often, these days. So, quite a few more visits to the parlour are in order (laughs).

Uh huh?
Another interesting part was the visit to the dentist. I am petrified of the dentist's chair. They took off my braces and polished my teeth. Since the braces came off after a long time, the extraction process was very painful.

Also, you had put on lots of weight in between?
Yeah. It was not showing in those loose salwaar kameezes. So I was not bothered. Parathas are my weakness. Blame it on the parathas. Now I am vigorously working out to get back into perfect shape. I am working at the Barbarian under the guidance of Satyajit Chaurasia (Satya), who is my personal trainer. Every morning Satya calls up, "Aa rahi ho na?" If I say no, he screams, "You have to come."

The channel took the media and the common man for a big ride. The maqkeover was slated to happen in August 2004. Didn't you get fed up?
Frankly, I would have been quite nervous if it had happened then. I was apprehensive on how people would react seeing me in a new avatar. Good it's happening now. By then, I was sure that people are looking forward to it.

One version is that the show is concluding in May, while the other says that it has received an extension of one year?
I don't know exactly. But I think it will go a long way.

What was the toughest part in playing Jassi?
Wearing the braces. My gums used to bleed. While saying my dialogues, I used to slur.

At least now you agree that your name is Mona?
No. And I am serious. My real name is Jasmeet.

So who is Mona?
My sister's name is Sona. We two were spoken in the same breath by friends and relatives. People from close quarters started calling me Mona. So Mona is my pet name.

At least now you agree that you were the model in the Asian Paints commercial?
Was I? (laughs).

Are you open to doing more modelling?
Why not? In fact, I may be doing the Bausch and Lomb commercial very soon.

Your other interests apart from acting?
I hardly get time. I have been working like a machine. But whenever I get time, I enjoy cooking. I love cooking curry and rajma. I also go out for films with my friends.

You went to theatres in the Jassi garb?
No.

Wearing a burkha, then?
(Laughs) No. Tying some scarf/dupatta over my face and slipping into the theatre when the lights were off.

Jassi has Apoorva Agnihotri and Sameer Soni. Who does Mona have?
Mona has no love in her life. There is no time. It might go haywire. And then, he might feel jealous of Apoorva and Sameer.

Your relationship with your co-actors?
I got along with Rakshanda Khan and Manini De very well. However, the scene was different when it came to Apoorva Agnihotri and Parmeet Sethi. In fact, I used to feel intimidated looking at them; I used to forget my lines (laughs). And imagine this! Deeya Singh used to keep telling me, "No problem if you panic, it's working for the character."

What's next?
I haven't thought of it as yet. But I can't take up anything less challenging than Jassi. I wouldn't mind maintaining the image of Jassi. I wouldn't mind people calling me Jassi throught my life.

Would you do a bahu's role in a soap?
I don't see myself there. I want to plan my future. I don't want to go wrong. I can't hurry up. But who knows! Destiny is the boss.

Films?
Bollywood is a different world altogether. I am open to films, but I would prefer television because it's a women and family oriented medium.

Hypothetical question. Given a choice, who would you choose in personal life? Armaan or Purab?
Nandu (Gaurav Gera). An extra inch for him; he is my best friend.

Do you think that a handsome man can fall in love with a below-average looker in real life, like Sony showed in 'Jassi...'?
It does happen. One of my classmates fell in love with a very handsome man. We thought he was taking her for a ride. We told her it won't last. Today, they are happily married.