Rock star!

“I was always thinking older than I actually was. My parents would tease me for being wiser than they were,” says the petite new actress on-the-block, Monica Dogra of her growing up years. With the famed Dhobi Ghat kick-starting her Bollywood career, this confident lass is here to stay.

But what truly sets her apart from the routine run-of-the-mill Bollywood newcomers is not just her slender frame but her music sensibilities and her austere intellect. Her rock band Shaa’ir + func with Randolph Correia is one of India’s strongest exports in the alternative world of music. Having toured half the world for her numerous concerts, she is definitely no stranger to arc lights and crazy fan adulation.

For her, Dhobi Ghat, her maiden movie is from the world of new Indian cinema and acting in it was as if written in the stars. Kiran Rao, the director of the film saw her and liked her instantly. Busy with her tours, Monica initially ignored the Facebook message she was sent but was re-contacted soon enough for a screen test with Aamir Khan. This was an opportunity too tempting to miss and the rest as they say is history.

Working with the perfectionist Khan, a dream for every new entrant in Bollywood, “was initially intimidating mainly because of the mystique that surrounds him. He is an artist who is extremely hard working and constantly trying to be the best”.