One year after the Mahakumbh viral girl Monalisa will return to the ongoing Magh Mela in Prayagraj—this time as a Bollywood actor. The bead-seller, who became an internet sensation during last year’s mega gathering, will be seen opposite actor Rajkummar Rao’s brother Amit Rao.
Directed by Sanoj Mishra, known for Gandhigiri (2016) and Shashank (2023), offered her role at 2025 Mahakumbh after her reels went viral. After completion of the film, the team will attend the annual event to seek Ma Ganga’s blessings this week.
“We started the film The Diary of Manipur in four schedules – Etawah (Uttar Pradesh), and then moved to Manipur, where we filmed in various locations. After a schedule in Nepal, we completed the major portion in Dehradun, wrapping up last week,” says Sanoj.
The filmmaker first noticed her at the Mahakumbh after her reels went viral. “When I saw Monalisa (Bhonsle) at the mela, I was disturbed by how people were harassing her for reels and selfies. They are banjare (nomads) and very innocent people from Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh. So, I decided to cast her as the lead and signed her,” he recounts.
Monalisa was subsequently moved to Indore and then Mumbai for training and education, as she initially knew only how to sign her name. “It was a tough task, but she is very hardworking and dedicated. Besides music videos, I’ve also helped her shoot for two South Indian films. Since she still has an accent issue, we used dubbing. However, she has adapted well to acting, and her innocence is her biggest asset,” he explains.
Alongside the debutant male lead, the film features fresh faces. “The movie is set in Manipur, but she plays a North Indian girl settled there, where a love story unfolds amidst violence. We could have cast established Hindi film actors, but we brought in many actors from the North-East to ensure authenticity,” he adds.
In between, Sanoj faced a crisis followed by a complaint by a woman and was arrested. “It was a planted rivalry, and she later admitted about the “false complaint”. It was a tough time but in that period I wrote the story in the jail and then we shot the film,” he says on a signing off note.
