What happened to Monalisa?

Stepping into the shooting house, I was held aback at the site of an ailing Monalisa on a wheel chair. As she looked unusually frail, I could not help but enquire the director, Ashfaque Nipun, about her appearance. He immediately comforted me saying that it was a requirement for her role in the tele-fiction titled Hoyto Tomar Kachhei Jabo, where the renowned model stars alongside famed actor Apurba.

Monalisa plays a character that leads a happy life and suffers from a sudden stroke, which leaves her paralysed. Everyone seemed preoccupied at the set, some were busy running with the cameras and others were busy adjusting the lights. Ashfaque Nipun, who is also behind the story and the script, seemed busy preparing for the next shot, while the actors were getting their touch-ups from the makeup artists. During her 'powder and lipstick' session, Monalisa became slightly nostalgic as she recalled and discussed with Apurba, all the good times she spent in the USA. He too was able to recollect a handful of memories from his trip to the USA with his family. As the conversation became more 'American', the director interposed and explained the dialogues. The actors began to mumble in their own tone to brush up on what they had to say. After a while, we could hear the director's call that it was time to shoot. No sooner, the stars were on the set and ready to shine.

“Action!” As the shoot began, someone's phone rang to interrupt an intense scene. Even though we know that prevention is better than cure, the damage was already done. So, after a retake and moments of phones being on silent, the scenes continued with smoothness as the cameras rolled to the director's contentment. By the time it came to an end, I learnt that the tele-fiction is slated for broadcast on Banglavision during Eid. As they packed up, both Monalisa and Apurba were delighted to work together after a long time. On a final note, they both seemed rather optimistic about the emotional story of the tele-fiction.