It has been a roller coaster of a year, says Mouni Roy

Actor Mouni Roy turns a year older today, and while she usually likes to bring in the day with her close friends and family, or gets away from the city to rejuvenate, this year, she is spending her birthday in Greece. Mouni says, “I am in Greece with five of my closest friends. Athens has a lot of history, so I’m quite excited and looking forward to exploring the 5,000 year old history there. Visiting Mykonos will be the fun part of the trip, and there are enough days for all of us to accommodate whatever we want to do everyday.”

Mouni adds that among all the gifts she has received over the years, a special present by her father remains her favourite. “It was one of the early edition bound copies that contain all seven of Jane Austen’s novels, which are really close to my heart,” says the actor.

This year has been great for the Naagin actor, as she made her Hindi film debut opposite Akshay Kumar in Gold, and now has two mainstream productions, Made in China and Brahmastra, in her kitty. Mouni says she is very happy to have these opportunities. “It has been an absolute roller coaster of a year. I’ve learnt a lot by being part of some beautiful projects. I’m thankful to God for the surprises I received along the way this year,” the actor says.

Mouni recently wrapped up the first schedule of Made In China, which also stars Rajkummar Rao, and she is quite impressed with her costar’s acting chops. “He has brilliant sensibilities when it comes to approaching scenes. He takes it to another level. It’s like seeing a magician do his tricks beautifully and organically. It’s been an honour,” she says.

Mouni doesn’t hesitate to add that working on Brahmastra — featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt — was nothing short of surreal. “It was a brilliant set-up with a superlative team, great actors, and very helpful co-stars,” the actor says.

Mouni Roy What is the most difficult aspect of making it in Bollywood? I’ve just started out. I don’t really know and understand all of that. But I believe that if you do your work with utmost honesty, that’s all you really need to think about.