The Jassi of yesteryears' TV, Mona Singh has come a long way. While she plays mum to a grown-up girl in 'Kya Hua Tera Vaada', in real life the actress is still much in love, and for the record, "unmarried". If I was married I would proudly announce it to the whole world. "I am in love with Vidyut Jamwal, but I am not married," she says, reacting to reports of her secret nuptial with the actor. "I don't know where the news of my marriage came from. But if I was married, I would proudly announce it to the whole world. A girl's dream is to eventually get married, so why would I hide that?" she adds.
The rumour, says Mona, upset her parents a great deal. "My parents went through a very bad phase after the news of my supposed marriage came out. My relatives called them up and said things like, 'Oh my God! Yeh kya ho gaya aapke saath? Mona ne shaadi kar li?' My father is still very angry. As celebrities, we let it go as we know this is part of the entertainment world, but families don't understand," rues Mona, who was in Lucknow recently. And though Mona is not sure when she will get married, one thing she is confident of - "That mine will be a love marriage." As she reasons, "In love marriages, you at least know your partner. A known devil is better than an unknown one!"
I am the highest paid actress on TV
That she's in no hurry to get married is understandable, considering she's one of the highest paid stars on TV. But Mona corrects us, "I am the highest paid actress on TV today." She adds, "It is about time that TV actors were paid as well as film stars. And that is what is happening these days. If you look at Ronit Roy, Ram Kapoor, Sakshi Tanvar and me, we all are getting a huge renumeration. And why not? We deserve it...we have earned it! Bollywood actors come and host a show and charge crores per day. It is so good to see that today people in the television industry are ready to pay handsome amounts to TV stars too." Quiz her about how most shows with highest paid actors aren't doing too well and she defends herself saying, "Whether the serial works or doesn't work, it is not our problem. Whatever scenes we are given, we do them with 100% conviction."
TV actors have their own market
Mona has been missing from movies for a long time but she says she hasn't quit Bollywood altogether. "I have never made statements like I'm quitting TV or I'm quitting Bollywood. I have always wanted to strike a balance between the two. But as far as movies are concerned, after 3 Idiots, every role that I got was that of a pregnant woman. That's so funny! Why do people in Bollywood slot you in one particular role," she complains, adding, "TV actors are doing great in Bollywood. We have our own market, our own fans, who love to see us on the big screen. I am waiting for something really nice to come my way and be a part of the intelligent cinema that is being made these days."
