Monikangana Dutta: Bhansali's big secret

Tall, dusky and picturesque, model Monikangana Dutta's sudden rise to the top in the Indian Fashion World is almost like a fairy tale story. This Kingfisher calendar girl has been the reigning queen of the ramp ever since she started her career, beating her contemporaries straight to the top. And now we hear that this hottie has ventured into filmdom by signing a two-film deal with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Monikangana is supposedly making her debut in Bollywood with Guzaarish and is being paired opposite Hrithik Roshan.

For those not in the know, Moni (as she is lovingly called by friends) never aspired to be a model. After her schooling in Assam where she is originally from, Monikangana moved to Delhi for higher studies. She attended college for only a few days when she had a chance to go to Paris, which she grabbed with both her hands. Though her parents were apprehensive initially, after meeting the people concerned, her father let her go so that she could carve her own destiny. And as they say, the rest is history. From walking the ramp for the biggest designers to modelling for the best brands, she has done it all.

A model entering the film industry has become a norm today. And knowing Moni, we weren't really surprised when we received this piece of news, as she was never averse to the idea of doing a film or even an item number. Stated Moni a while back, "The film thing is big money and actresses can buy a lavish Mumbai flat with just one movie while it would take a model a few years to make that much. I don't know when I will do a movie because there's this whole idea of models not being good actresses, so one certainly has to make the right decisions."

And currently, if sources close to the model are to be believed, Monikangana's first film is definitely going to have her paired opposite Hrithik as his girlfriend in Guzaarish. "Hrithik plays a paraplegic in the film and she is supposed to be his girlfriend. Aishwarya Rai plays a nurse in the movie but Moni has quite a meaty role too. She is the one directly opposite Hrithik and not Aishwarya like everybody thinks," says a source associated with the film. That's not all; Monikangana has even signed a two-film deal with Bhansali that doesn't permit her to do any other movie or anything else till she is under contract. Our source continues, "She has got the chance of a lifetime. How many girls get signed by Bhansali for not one but two films? A newcomer making her debut and then being retained by the director for another film is very lucky indeed."

Apparently, one of the reasons why this news isn't out yet is not only because Bhansali wants to keep her character under wraps but also because he is insecure about Monikangana Dutta. "Even though she is already under a contract with Bhansali, he fears that other people might get in touch with her and give her more lucrative offers. He doesn't want to take a chance as he feels that she is very talented. He plans to launch her in a big way. Monikangana's the surprise package."

When we got in touch with Monikangana regarding her hush-hush debut in the film, she was rather taken aback. However, after coming to terms with her initial shock, she maintained her calm and said, "It is true that I am doing a film. But I have been given strict instructions not to reveal anything. Everyone will come to know what I am doing when the time is right because if I say anything now, they'll shoot me."