Mona Singh’s Mothers Don’t Behave

At the preview event for The Ba***ds of Bollywood, producer Shah Rukh Khan, then 59, cheekily teased actor Mona Singh, then 43: “Itni choti si umar ke andar bhi yeh mummy ka role kyun karti ho tum yaar!” At such a young age, why do you keep playing the role of a mother? After all, she was, yet again a mother in his son Aryan Khan’s hit streaming show. But Mona Singh had a playful response ready: “Ab main kya bolu yaar! Aap heroes jawan banke baithe hue ho, toh kisi na kisi ko mummy ka role toh karna padega na!” What do I say to that! You heroes are still playing younger roles so someone has to play the mother!

She was alluding to the open secret of how Bollywood’s male superstars keep getting older, yet star opposite increasingly younger actresses. Their banter concluded with Khan promising to do a film with her, one in which he romances her, of course. In one fell swoop, she pointed out the hypocrisy of the film and TV industry, a masterclass of a conversation Shah Rukh Khan himself — also a master banterer — would respect. 

In recent years, it’s been hard to escape Mona Singh. The actor — who catapulted to fame with Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin in 2003 — has been gracing our screens for decades. Yet, her recent turns in made-for-streaming shows, The Bad***ds of Bollywood and Kohrra, have made her difficult to ignore. In a world that often resists texture in female characters past a certain age, what is it about Singh that continues to enthrall us? The Juggernaut interviewed producers, writers, and others who’ve worked with Mona Singh to explain precisely why she might play the mother, but will always keep you guessing.