Born on November 21, 1982, Bhojpuri and television actress Monalisa's real name is Antara Biswas. She adopted the stage name 'Monalisa' after her uncle's recommendation. Born into a Bengali Hindu family, Monalisa studied at South Kolkata's one of the popular schools - Julien Day School. She pursued a BA degree in Sanskrit from Ashutosh College of the University of Calcutta. (All pictures/Monalisa's official Instagram account)

At age 15, Monalisa started out as a small-time actress and model, especially in Odia video albums. In 1997, Monalisa made her acting debut in TV Movie - ...Jayate, directed by Hansal Mehta.

In picture: Monalisa in a poster of her Bhojpuri film.

Monalisa went on to star in various Odia, Bengali, Kannada and Telugu films. But she made a mark in Bhojpuri films in the late 2000s. One of the most popular films starring Monalisa are Bhole Shankar (2008), Tu Babuaa Hamaar (2008), Saat Saheliyan (2010) and Aakhiri Rasta (2011).

In picture: Monalisa with Salman Khan

In 2016, Monalisa appeared in the controversial reality show Bigg Boss 10. However, just one week before the grand finale, the Bhojpuri star got evicted from the Bigg Boss house.

Monalisa entered the house with an optimistic attitude and a mindset to play a fair game. Being one of the most sensitive and vulnerable contestants, she would easily break into tears in stressful situations. So much so, that her 'tears' became the highlight of the season.

During her tenure inside the house, Monalisa displayed a lot of compassion towards her fellow contestants and would steer clear of fights and arguments as much as possible.

Inside Bigg Boss house, Monalisa drew close to fellow contestants - Manu Panjabi and Manveer Gurjar, who not only became her close confidants but also helped her to gain back her lost confidence and supported her in every possible way. Their chemistry and friendship won Manveer, Mona, and Manu the title of M3.

Monalisa's closeness with Manu Panjabi inside Bigg Boss 10 raised many eyebrows and the duo became the talk of the town. She made several sacrifices for the latter which included nominating herself twice to save him from eliminations.

Not only Monalisa's fellow housemates but also her (then boyfriend) husband-Bhojpuri actor Vikrant Singh Rajpoot denounced Manu Panjabi and her friendship. This left Monalisa in a state of dilemma and she repeatedly insisted on wanting to leave the house to clarify all the misunderstandings.

However, Monalisa's life took a surprising turn after her Vikrant Singh Rajpoot entered the Bigg Boss house, proposed her on national television and even got married to her in a fairytale-like wedding.

When asked about reports that the duo got hitched on the show to grab eyeballs, she said, "I am doing good in Bhojpuri films, people do know me and after taking part in 'Bigg Boss' more people started to know more about me. I don't need to get married for publicity. We were in a relationship for eight years and were planning to get married. It was heart-warming. It is sad when people think it is a publicity stunt," Mona told PTI in an interview in 2017.

Monalisa and Vikrant Singh Rajpoot were initially set to tie the knot after the actress' exit from the Bigg Boss house. However, after seeing Mona's new avatar on the show, Vikrant had claimed that he was apprehensive about marrying her. His family was also offended with her proximity to co-contestant Manu Punjabi. But things changed drastically, of course for good, and Vikrant married his girl on national TV.

After Bigg Boss, Monalisa participated in Nach Baliye 8 with husband Vikrant Singh Rajpoot. The couple was called 'Monvik' in the show.

In 2018, Monalisa made her Hindi fiction debut on the small screen. She played Mohana (a witch) in the show Nazar, a supernatural fantasy drama which has a witch. 

"Being a popular movie actress, I had never thought of venturing into fiction on the small screen. In fact, I didn't wish to do a fiction show on television until 'Nazar' came my way," Monalisa said in a statement.

"When I was approached for the show, I found the script extremely appealing and unconventional. Mohana is very distinctive and her aura is mesmerising. The intriguing characteristics of the 'daayan' such as her 'chotti' and her several powers further enticed me to be a part of this supernatural drama," said Monalisa.

Monalisa is currently one of the most popular actresses on Television. She has whopping 3.8 million fan followers on Instagram, which is commendable!

Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Monalisa!