'Learning Urdu was very difficult'

Despite starting her career with a non-glamorous role in Bollywood with Dhobi Ghat, Monica Dogra garnered attention and is basking in the glory of her upcoming film David, where she plays Noor, a Muslim girl and the love interest of a gangster played by Neil Nitin Mukesh. David is the story of three men named David living in different lands but related to one another.

However, hitting the right chord and simultaneously pursuing music with her Indie band Shaa’ir+Funk, Monica says it was her dream come true to work with Bijoy Nambiar, the director of David. “He is a brilliant filmmaker and it was a dream working in David. He is an excellent person to work with. The film is very exciting – it has originality and a complicated script too. I am really happy to be part of such a film.”

Talking about Noor, her character, the dusky beauty says, “I quite relate to the character. We are very alike, brave, one who follows her heart, irrational too but also transparent at the same time.” The Indian-American also shared her toughest and the fascinating part of her character. “The most difficult part for me was to learn Urdu for the film and get the correct accent and the most interesting part was to wear a hijab and through the film I got to know the true meaning of it and why women wear them.”

Monica and Neil’s portions are all shot in black and white, which is very unusual in Bollywood now. The musician cum actor, says, “Bijoy wanted to treat each story differently. He wanted to give that visual connect and that is why our portions are shot in black and white. Also the story is about a gangster in 1970, London.”

Sharing her experience with Metrolife about how she bagged the role in Kiran Rao’s Dhobi Ghat, Monica, says, “It was sheer luck. But I would say that I have worked really hard and have reached where I am today and I have created my own luck.”

A musician by heart whose favourite actors in Bollywood are Aamir Khan and Rani Mukerji, Monica says, “Music is my life and that is why it is the most important of all.”

Monica is currently working on Season 2 of The Dewarists, a musical show on Star World, a Shaa’ir+Funk solo record releasing in June and an art film titled Fireflies with Rahul Khanna, Arjun Mathur and Shivani Ghai and directed by Sabal Shekhawat.