You’ve seen her as a vengeful snake woman, a divine goddess, and a literal supernatural assassin. Honestly, it’s hard to find an actor who has successfully navigated the jump from daily soaps to big-budget Bollywood spectacles as cleanly as Mouni Roy. Most TV actors get stuck in the "small screen" loop, but Mouni basically rewrote the playbook. From her early days in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi to her massive 2022 breakout as Junoon in Brahmastra, her career path has been anything but linear.
Now that we’re sitting in 2026, the landscape has shifted even more. She isn’t just doing the occasional item song or supporting role anymore. She’s headlining gritty OTT thrillers and making serious moves into South Indian cinema. If you’ve been keeping up with the news lately, you know her 2025 was a whirlwind, and 2026 is looking like the year she finally cements her "pan-India" status.
The Early Days and the Television Peak
Most people forget that Mouni Roy actually started as a background dancer in the Abhishek Bachchan film Run back in 2004. It was just a blink-and-you-miss-it song appearance. Her real life-changing moment came in 2006 when she was cast as Krishna Tulsi in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She recently admitted in an interview that she was only getting three hours of sleep a night during that peak TV era. Can you imagine? The grind was real.
Then came Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev. Playing Sati alongside Mohit Raina didn’t just make her famous; it made her "divine" in the eyes of the Indian public. But let’s be real: nothing compares to the Naagin phenomenon. When Ekta Kapoor launched that supernatural thriller in 2015, nobody expected it to become the TRP juggernaut it was. Mouni’s portrayal of Shivanya changed the game for her. It proved she could carry a show entirely on her own shoulders, and it’s arguably the reason Bollywood finally started calling.
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Making the Jump: Mouni Roy Movies and the Brahmastra Pivot
Transitioning to film is a risky move. For every Shah Rukh Khan, there are fifty actors who couldn't make it work. Mouni’s big Hindi debut happened in 2018 with Gold, where she played Akshay Kumar's fiery Bengali wife, Monobina. It was a solid start. She got a Filmfare nomination for Best Female Debut, which is no small feat.
But then things got a bit quiet. She did Romeo Akbar Walter and Made in China, but they didn't exactly set the box office on fire. People started wondering if she was going to be another "TV star who almost made it."
Then Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva happened in 2022.
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Playing the antagonist Junoon was a massive gamble. She was up against Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Alia Bhatt. Yet, when the credits rolled, a lot of critics called her the best part of the movie. She brought a weird, intense energy to a character that could have easily been a cartoon villain. Interestingly, Mouni later opened up in a 2025 chat with The Hollywood Reporter India, saying that despite the praise for Brahmastra, the phone didn't ring as much as she expected. She felt like an "outsider" whose name wasn't being mentioned in the right rooms.
The 2025 Reinvention and 2026 Projects
If 2023 and 2024 were about building a presence on OTT with shows like Sultan of Delhi and Showtime, 2025 was the year of the "pivot." She started taking bigger swings. She starred in The Bhootnii, a horror-comedy with Sanjay Dutt, and led the espionage thriller Salakaar on JioHotstar.
Right now, in early 2026, we’re seeing the fruits of that labor.
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- Vishwambhara: This is the big one. She’s making her Telugu debut alongside the legendary Chiranjeevi. It’s a massive production, and even though her role is a special appearance in a song, it’s a strategic move into the Tollywood market.
- The Wives: Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, this is supposed to be an "authentic" look at the lives of celebrity wives. Mouni is lead-billing here, and it’s expected to be a performance-heavy social drama.
- Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai: She’s also wrapped up filming for this David Dhawan comedy. It’s a complete 180 from her dark roles, starring Varun Dhawan, Pooja Hegde, and Mrunal Thakur.
- Hisaab: A new thriller web series she just finished shooting with Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia and Shaheer Sheikh.
She’s basically everywhere—from 3D animated films (voicing Sita in Mahayoddha Rama) to global fashion weeks in Milan and London. It’s a very modern way to handle a career. You don't just wait for one big movie; you build a brand across platforms.
What to Watch if You're a Fan
If you’re just getting into her work, don’t just stick to the movies. Her television roots are where the craft was honed.
- Naagin (Season 1): Essential viewing. It’s campy, sure, but Mouni’s screen presence is undeniable.
- Brahmastra: Watch it for her performance alone. She carries the threat of the film.
- London Confidential: A smaller OTT film where she plays a pregnant RAW agent. It shows a much more grounded, subtle side of her acting that people often overlook because of her "glamorous" image.
- Salakaar: Her 2025 spy series. It’s fast-paced and shows she can handle action.
Mouni Roy’s journey proves that the "outsider" tag is a real hurdle in Mumbai, but it’s not an impossible one. She’s gone from a girl-next-door on TV to a fashion icon and a pan-India actor by being willing to audition, willing to take the "villain" role, and willing to grind when the big offers didn't come immediately.
To stay updated on her latest releases, keep an eye on her social media where she’s surprisingly transparent about her "work in progress" scripts. If you're looking for her next big theatrical release, The Wives is slated for the first half of 2026, and it's likely to be her most talked-about performance since the Brahmastra days. Log into your favorite streaming platforms like Disney+ Hotstar or JioHotstar to catch up on her recent series Showtime and Salakaar before the new 2026 slate drops.