Maha Kumbh viral girl Monalisa's Bollywood debut will be opposite actor Rajkummar Rao's brother, Amit Rao

The viral Maha Kumbh girl Monalisa will be seen as the leading lady opposite actor Rajkummar Rao’s brother, Amit Rao, who makes his debut with filmmaker Sanoj Mishra’s film The Diary of Manipur. Monalisa, originally Moni Bhonsle, went viral for her striking looks and later faced harassment from the selfie-seekers which forced her family to leave Prayagraj.

Gandhigiri and Shashank director Sanoj Mishra went searching for her in Prayagraj where he met her family members and tracked her at Maheshwar (Khargaon district, Madhya Pradesh).

“Bahut hi innocent log hain yeah, banjare hai! I was impressed with her innocence, simplicity and natural looks but what followed was horrible and so disturbing. So, I searched for her and met her parents and family members about the film and all aspects. Now, I have more responsibility to present her and make her career. I’m starting her workshop in Indore for a fortnight and after that we will shift her to Mumbai where the workshop will continue,” Sanoj tells HT City.

He adds, “We are starting the film in London with Amit Rao for a week and from April the film will be shot from start-to-end in Manipur. We are starting the film in London with Amit Rao for a week and from April the film will be shot from start-to-end in Manipur as it's a story of love and violence. After training, she will be joining the cast as the leading lady,” adds Sanoj.

Monalisa, in a video posted by Sanoj on his Instagram, says, “Bahut khush hoon main. Mehnat karengey...zaroor karengey. Mehnat karenge tabhi to agey badhengey.”

Mishra further adds, “Her simplicity has made her go viral so we present her will with simplicity and set an example in this era of reels and social media an innocent girl from a banjara community can became an actor and rule. It’s my answer to those who tried to use to become viral and was subjected to exploitation.”

Actor-director Kangana Ranaut had also recently posted her pix on her Instagram story and praised her beauty, shared her disappointment on people harassing her at Kumbh mela ground and questioning lack of dusky girl in the film industry.