Monica Dogra can afford to pick and choose

MUMBAI: US-based Indian origin singer and actor, Monica Dogra, anxiously awaits the release of her forthcoming movie Fireflies,  and is of the view that as an artist, she can afford to be choosy about the projects she is offered.

She tried acting as a full-fledged actor with Dhobi Ghat, which was released in 2010. Since then she has had only one release, David.

“I don’t really consider me not doing films as something bad,” she commented when asked why she’s not seen more frequently on the big screen.

“I am choosy about the projects I do because I can afford to be choosy, because I am an artist. I create work. I don’t really rely on someone else to give me the opportunity to be an artist,” Dogra said  in an interview.

The 31-year-old, who had shared screen space with superstar Aamir Khan in Dhobi Ghat, is not so concerned about acting in big films or being in the limelight.

“I’m not really concerned about working in commercial films and being a mainstream actor,” she said, adding that her name is “quite known” for what she is and what she does.

“I prefer to be an individual than something sellable. That’s kind of my ethos,” she said.

She plays a writer In Sabal Singh Shekhawat’s directorial debut film Fireflies.

Set for an October 31 release, the film’s story revolves around two estranged brothers – portrayed by Rahul Khanna and Arjun Mathur – and how fate brings them together after 15 years.

She is not only acting in Fireflies, she has also penned two songs for the film and will be seen in a bolder avatar in the movie.

“My character in Fireflies is named Michelle. She is a writer and she experienced success with her first book but is experiencing what all creative people experience after one project is successful, which is writer’s block and finds it difficult to turn out work. She goes on a journey to find inspiration and that’s how she finds Raunaq (Arjun Mathur),” she said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2014.

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