Monica Murthy: A multi talented Indian artist

She was recently in Mauritius to host Shreya Ghoshal’s concert. Monica Murthy, anchor, actor and singer, is known for her role in a famous TV serial ‘Pyar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara’. The promising star confided to us in a candid interview with News on Sunday.  Her pretty face will definitely seem familiar, especially to the fans of Indian TV serials. For a year, she played the role of Rukhsaar Khan, the sister of the lead actress, in ‘Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara’. Monica Murthy acted in 98 episodes of the famous serial which aired on Star Plus. Born and raised in the village of Nasik, north of Mumbai, Monica is a multi-talented artist who takes on roles of anchor, actor and singer. Her elegant voice, singing talents and unique mimicry virtues make her a real showstopper. “I started singing at the age of 8, as my mother is a very good singer. She used to take me to singing classes and I got better and better at it. I would sing for three to four hours daily. I trained in Hindustani classical music. But I had to quit singing when I was in Standard 10 due to my studies.” However, she never really quit singing. “I would sing during college festivals and whenever I got the opportunity. As I can speak nine languages – English, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujrati, and Bengali – people told me that I should take it up as a profession. So I thought why not give it a try,” she says. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"16238","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-27375 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"288","height":"430","alt":"Monica-Murthy1"}}]]After completing her BBA in Marketing at the University of Pune and an MBA in Media and Communication from Whistling Woods International, Monica started her career at Doordarshan TV channel. “I worked for a year as Marketing Executive. Then I was spotted. They gave me the opportunity to work as news anchor for DD National and DD Sahyadri.” One thing leading to another, Monica stepped into the world of Indian serials and cinema. Her experience playing in the TV serial ‘Pyaar Ka Dard...’ taught her a lot. “I had to work with ace actors from Bollywood. I learned a lot from them during six months. This helped me improve my acting skills.” Monica made an appearance in the film Bollywood Diaries. “I dream of acting with Amitabh Bachchan who is my favourite actor, or other actors like Paresh Rawal and Nana Patekar. I would definitely like to be in a leading role in a film but right now, my main objective is to get better at acting.” On the other side, the flame for singing has kept on burning in her heart and soul. “Singing has always been my first love. My stress buster anytime. I can listen to it 24/7,” she shares. In March, she released a cover version of the song ‘Yeh Samah’ and added some English lyrics. Among her future projects, Monica plans to make more music videos. “I plan to do videos where I would wear a Punjabi dress but sing in a south Indian language and vice versa. This will definitely give a unity in diversity feeling to people in India.” The versatile entertainer who also dances in both Western and Indian styles, shares that she had a fantastic time in Mauritius. “The hospitality is just amazing. I look forward to coming back.” Grateful to her parents, who showed relentless support throughout her career, Monica trusts that young talents have to stand out and affirm themselves. “You have to give it your best shot. Never doubt yourself. Always believe in doing what your heart says. Because at the end of the day, you will realise that this is what gives you happiness.” Monica advises the young to never lose hope. “Don’t listen to negative people. Listen, take advice from seniors but do whatever your heart says.” Monica strongly believes in the saying: ‘The best way to be different is to be yourself.’ “Because if you want to be somebody else, you will be a duplicate. You are unique and you should make that uniqueness shine.”