Acting will always be my first love…’

Actor Mona Singh is synonymous with Mona in filmmaker Raju Hirani’s blockbuster ‘3 Idiots’, and as Aamir Khan’s mother in ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’. Known to speak her mind on podcasts and in interviews, she turns celebpreneur with her new restobar Kona Kona in Mumbai.

She played the role of the garrulous auditor Bulbul Jauhari in filmmaker Zoya Akhtar’s popular Web series ‘Made in Heaven Season 2’ netting in serious acclaim. As a doctor in ‘Kaala Paani’ in the OTT space, she played a strategically scripted role.

What made you start your own restaurant?

I’ve always been passionate about food - it’s been a quiet but constant presence in my life. Over time, the desire to create something of my own - to share those memories, stories and comfort foods – just kept growing stronger. Kona Kona reflects that journey. It’s about building a warm, welcoming space and a community that connects through food and shared nostalgia.

Actor-filmmaker-writer Pankaj Kapur was the first celebrity to take the stage during the just-introduced Sahitya Aaj Tak English platform. Kapur launched his first novella, Dopehri, and also read excerpts from it. Dopehri, though it became a stage performance, was actually written in his style as a scriptscreenplay, Kapur revealed.