Mumbai: Mouni Roy is mighty pleased with herself these days. And why shouldn’t she be? Despite being a non-dancer, the actress has managed to score a perfect 30 twice on dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. Happy with her performance, Mouni admits that she can’t put in maniacal hours like some of the contestants do. “Unlike a lot of contestants who put in long hours in the rehearsal sessions, I practise for four to five hours a day. I tend to lose focus easily, so I prefer getting done early. But when I do rehearse, I try not to take breaks except for going to the loo or having a quick drink of nariyal pani,” she says.
Mouni believes that the fact that she isn’t a professional dancer only further eggs her on to put in her best. The actress feels that it has in fact, worked in her favour because the audience and the judges appreciate her acts all the more due to her amateur background. “My body doesn’t have the rhythm of a dancer since I have never had any professional training like some others on the show. I have danced a bit in school and college. Pulling off forms like Rumba and Bolero doesn’t come very easily to me,” she admits.
Adding to Mouni’s woes are her injuries, for which she is undergoing physiotherapy. But she takes inspiration from the choreographers who continue dancing despite serious injuries. “I had been offered this show before, but I did not take it up due to health problems. This time I had a severe back spasm but decided to take it up anyway after seeing choreographers dancing despite hairline fractures and what not. So I take physiotherapy sessions every morning and then head for Jhalak rehearsals. By the end of it I’m so tired that I just sleep,” she says.
While she is determined to give the show her best, what she cannot do is give up junk food. She says, “I am a foodie and I get depressed and sulky if I’m asked to eat only salads. Contestants like Shakti Mohan are particular about what they eat, while I am sitting there with my packet of chips. I can cut down on spicy food but I need carbs to keep me happy and energetic. I can have salads only along with my regular rice and sabzi. I just have this constant need to eat.”
The actress also tells us that though she has come a long way, she still gets messages from people who used to watch her in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She says, “People still love Krishna Tulsi (her character) and keep mentioning what they liked about her.” Her co-star from KSBKBT, Pulkit Samrat is now in the movies but Mouni does not have any such dreams. “I am not very ambitious. I just take things as they come. I have no plans about getting into movies or any such thing.”
Coming to her love life, the actress has been linked to actor Gaurav Chopra, and more recently, her Mahadev co-star Mohit Raina. The actress however prefers to be tight-lipped about it. “I don’t discuss my personal life,” she insists.
