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She's now all jazzy
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It's been the mother of all makeovers for Mona Singh, from ugly duckling Jassi to preening swan Jessica
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Looks depend on the profession you want to take up MONA SINGH
All Smiles Mona Singh is a sweetheart off screen as well Photos: SAMPATH KUMAR G.P.
All things that defined Jassi — soda glasses, bunny teeth, funny hair... — are all gone now. The iconic ugly duckling of Indian small screen has turned a swan. And how! In the city to launch the debit card by UTI Bank especially for women, Jassi aka Mona Singh looked drop dead gorgeous.
At the launch, tiny tots as well as maamis mobbed Mona for autographs and snaps. And Mona, like the sweetheart she is on screen, obliged with a smile. Talk soon moved on to whether she would renew her contract with Sony to extend Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, which has now run for two years. "We are renewing it definitely. The original contract was for two years, but the serial is getting an extension," she said.
And she proved to be as smart in person as she is on screen, when she deftly dodged a question about future episodes of the serial. "I can't talk about that," she laughed. "It will get interesting, though. The best thing is that Jessica is now at Gulmohar. She is going to fight for Jassi."
It does take something to pull off a makeover, after being cast in such a distinct character for so long. How has Mona managed that? "I did nothing special as such, but two years of Jassi meant that I put on some weight. I kept bumping into things, dropping things and generally became a bit dheela. So the director now yells `Get up, get up!' in the set to gee me up once in a way. I am getting used to it now," she said.
So, does the makeover mean that looks begin to matter over performance? After all the soap did pretty well in spite of the lead actress being "dumpy" in appearance. Perhaps, did well because of the novelty of the appearance after all the made-to-order pretty faces one was inundated with.
"Looks depend on the profession you want to take up. If you want to be a supermodel then you definitely have to look good. You can't be like Jassi. But if you want to work in a company like Jassi wanted to, then you have to be intelligent. Jassi proved that by becoming CEO without looking good. But in the new role as Jessica, it is important to look good, so that I can enter into Gulmohar and fight."
Looking good doesn't come easy. "It took a lot of time. I had to get a haircut and also change between five sets of lenses. The clothes were chosen for the young and fresh look. The make-up took some time. Then there was the posture training to sit, walk and talk like Jessica."
But she did admit that there was some degree of apprehension when Jessica made her debut. "I was nervous because this was the first time I was facing the camera as `me'. Until now I was hidden behind those glasses. I was even more nervous because the whole unit was looking at me. Now I guess people like it. And I think it was good that the change was gradual." And the change was, indeed, gradual. The informal PR for the new look began from as far back as August 2005.
Jassi, clearly, has grown to something more than an acting mask for Mona. The role has sunk roots into her very character. As of now, Mona plans to just concentrate on giving her best as Jassi and is not really worried about what the future holds in store for her in. "Being Jassi I have done a lot of things. I have been an ordinary girl, a model... Breaking the image will not be difficult. But I don't plan to break the image."
A.S.
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