‘This is as good as it gets’

After a successful career in television, Mouni Roy has struck gold in cinema. She makes her Bollywood debut with the film Gold, which has Akshay Kumar in the lead, is produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, and directed by Reema Kagti. “I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t get luckier. It

couldn’t have been better. This is as good as it gets,” says a super-excited Mouni, famous for the serial Naagin. “I’m so excited to be a part of Gold, a film starring Akshay sir. I had [earlier] been shortlisted for other films, but nothing worked out. I believe everything happens for a reason, and I guess this was supposed to be my start.”

Mouni was on tenterhooks for a while after her Gold audition. “For the longest time, I didn’t know if I’d be doing it or not. Two months after the audition, I got a text from the casting rep, saying I was shortlisted. Eventually, it worked out.” And her immediate reaction? Mouni replies, “I’m a person of disbelief and confusion and nerves, so good news takes a lot of time to sink in.”

The actor says that though she is “not ambitious at all”, she is “passionate” about work, and so wanting better roles and projects would be a given. “You want to push yourself creatively,” she says.

Though excited about doing a big film, Mouni says that television is her “place of worship” and her bread and butter. Therefore, future plans include trying to have the best of both worlds.

Films give you the opportunity to play different characters, unlike daily soaps. Having said that, TV has given me my life

MOUNI ROY, ACTOR