I always tell my husband ki tumhara ghar Lucknow mein kyun nahi hai?: Monalisa

Actor

Antara Biswas

, better known as Monalisa, was in the city recently to promote her upcoming supernatural fantasy drama – 'Nazar'. The Bhojpuri actress, who shot to fame with the film 'Bhole Shankar' in 2008, claims that after visiting the city several times for various purposes, Lucknow has become her favourite place in Uttar Pradesh. "I have been to Lucknow so many times that it has become my all time favourite place in U.P. as this city has it all. From delicious food to traditional and modern attire, from sight-seeing to happening hangouts, the city offers you so much," says Monalisa, adding, "While shooting for some songs as well as movies in Lucknow, like 'Rakth Bhumi', 'Collector Babu', among others, I used to put up at a hotel in Gomti Nagar. Whenever I used to get free from shooting, I would venture out to enjoy Lucknow’s nightlife. I’ve also been to Aminabad to have Prakash Ki Kulfi and Tunday Kababs and to the malls to chill out too." She further adds, "I’ve also been to Lohia Park and Ambedkar Park on my previous visits but this time got to see the Riverfront for the first time. The greenery and the Gomti river gives a perfect touch to this place. I would love to shoot a film or a song here as I found this really beautiful. I’ll definitely be coming here to hang out whenever I am coming next to Lucknow."
Married to UPite

Vikrant Singh Rajpoot

, Monalisa says, "Since my husband belongs to Azamgarh district of UP, I always tell my husband ki tumhara ghar Lucknow mein kyun nahi hai? Lucknow is like Mumbai with good people, good environment and awesome places to visit."

Monalisa in Lucknow (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)


After working in several regional language films like Hindi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Oriya, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu, Monalisa says that Bhojpuri films fascinate her the most. With more than 125 Bhojpuri films to her credit, the actress is now making her debut in the Hindi TV industry with her daily soap. "Abhi tak maine Bhojpuri mein sabse accha kaam kiya hai and the satisfaction which an actor wants from its characters, I’ve got it all from Bhojpuri cinema," shares Monalisa, adding, "I’ve done some small budget Bollywood films as well but usme kaam karne mein utna maza nahi aaya tha."
The actress who was a contestant in Bigg Boss 10 in 2016, claims that it was a turning point in her life and the show got her the instant fame, globally. "Bigg Boss changed my whole life as it opened the doors for ample opportunities in my career. I got back to back work after I came out from the 'Bigg Boss' house. From TV appearance in 'Comedy Dangal', or as a participant in 'Nach Baliye', I’ve got a lot of work because of that one show," shares Monalisa.

Monalisa in Lucknow (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)

For Monalisa, TV seems more impactful than films. Explaining her point, she says, "Films which I used to work in were regional films, so they didn’t have that much of an impact on people because their reach was limited. Unlike TV which reaches people’s homes across the country. Therefore, television has more impact than the cinema, nowadays," The Kolkata-born actress adds, "As soon as I entered the TV industry, the aura was totally different. I got international fans as well, which the regional cinema couldn’t get me despite me being in the regional film industry since 1997."
- Adnaan Rizvi