Monalisa (born Mona Bhonsle), the garland seller from Indore who went viral during the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, is set to enter Bollywood. She has been cast as the lead in filmmaker Sanoj Mishra’s The Diary Of Manipur. Monalisa will be seen opposite actor Rajkummar Rao’s brother Amit Rao, who, too, will debut with the film.

Sanoj, who has helmed films such as Gandhigiri (2016) and Shashank (2023), tells us, “She will attend an acting workshop in Indore for a fortnight, after which it will continue in Mumbai. We will start the film in London with Amit for a week and it will then be shot in Manipur. It’s a story of love and violence.”

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