Mona Singh on Why OTT Must Escape Algorithms and Female Stars Redefining Longevity: 'I Really Look Up to Tabu and Kareena'

Actor Mona Singh believes the most inspiring careers in Indian entertainment today belong to actresses who have constantly reinvented themselves over time.

Speaking exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter India about the shifting culture of celebrity and performance across television, films and streaming, Singh pointed to these performers as examples of artists who continue to evolve while staying rooted in their craft. “I really look up to Tabu, Kareena [Kapoor Khan], Shefali [Shah], Tillotama [Shome],” Singh said. “I love their journeys. They’re so inspiring, making new norms and constantly reinventing themselves.”

For Singh, the appeal lies not in celebrity spectacle but in the freedom to pursue authenticity on screen. She says she has never subscribed to the increasingly elaborate culture of entourages and image management that now accompanies stardom.

“People feel the bigger the car and the bigger the entourage, the better the impression,” she said. “But I’ve never even insisted on having my own make-up team. As long as I’m looking the character, I’m happy.”

That approach, she believes, has also shaped how she views age and image in an industry that often polices both. “It’s never about looking pretty on screen just to prove a point,” she said. “It’s about looking the part that you’re playing. I know who I am personally and I’m very secure in that way.”

Streaming platforms, she argues, have played a crucial role in enabling that shift. In India, where OTT has expanded rapidly over the past decade, Singh says the format has given many actors a second creative life.

“OTT has given us those wings,” she said. “It’s only been seven or eight years that we’ve really been introduced to it, and there’s so much more to do.”

The transition also allowed Singh to step away from television at a moment when she felt the medium had become creatively limiting. “I had done most of the shows, reality shows, everything,” she said. “If I wanted to stay in that comfort, I could have. I was getting the biggest offers. But that’s not me. As an actor you always want something you haven’t done before.”

Interestingly, she feels television in the early 2000s was more progressive than much of what is currently broadcast. Today, she says, the format has become trapped in repetitive tropes. “We need to give something new to TV,” Singh said. “People should watch stories that are real and relatable, not just kitchen politics with women putting each other down.”

Yet Singh believes streaming now risks repeating some of the same mistakes. As platforms chase viewership data and engagement metrics, storytelling can begin to follow rigid formulas designed to maximise retention. The result, she suggests, is a kind of algorithm-driven drama where suspense, cliffhangers and emotional beats are carefully engineered rather than organically written. “Of course that happens,” she said. “There will be a lot of stuff we won’t watch or like because they’re following those norms.”

But Singh insists the system can still be resisted. Even within the algorithmic ecosystem of streaming platforms, she says, standout shows continue to emerge. “There is a herd mentality and it will continue for some time,” she said. “But there are always those people who reinvent themselves and start writing what is real; there will always be a Kohrra or an Adolescence.”

For actors, that ultimately comes down to choice. “We have the luxury to say yes or no,” she said. “There is a lot of rubbish happening even on the big screen, but there are still a few films and shows that stand out. That’s what you wait for.”