Cinema must tap India's folklore & fables for compelling stories, says Mona Singh

Mumbai, June 13: Actress Mona Singh, who has been receiving a lot of positive responses for her recently released film ‘Munjya’, feels that India has a huge intangible library of folklore, fables, and urban legends, which the industry needs to leverage to the fullest.

The actress said that most of the horror movies made outside India are derived from folklore and urban legends. In India, ‘Stree’ is the biggest example of an urban legend breaking the box office with its performance, while ‘Munjya’ made on a humble budget is also climbing the ladder.

“If you look at India, at every 200 km, the water changes, the language changes. So imagine how many folklore we can tell. ‘Munjya’ has travelled from Maharashtra to across the world. I'm sure we have many more folklore to tell. And some of them could be horror," she said.

For Mona, the most intriguing thing about working in a horror film like ‘Munjya’ is watching her performance as part of the finished product.

“When you're shooting, you're just acting, which is a very small part. You're not actually seeing the ghost. It's your imaginary world, and you're a part of it as an actor. But when everything comes together, with sound effects, special effects, you eventually see the ghost. So it's a very different feeling when you're watching your work in a horror film,” she said.

The actress also spoke about the changing taste of the audience. “Storytelling has changed. Earlier, cinema was all about larger-than-life stories and big heroes. But now, with OTT becoming big in India, people are consuming good content. They expect a good story. And ‘Munjya’ is a perfect example. It's a great story which is beautifully portrayed on screen," she said.