Partner of the Month | Monica Murthy #behindTheVow
Updated: Jul 12, 2019
Many people act. Some people sing. A couple might emcee events. Very few do all of them, and that too consistently. Meet Monica Murthy, who embodies what entertainment is actually about: hard work. To grind it out in his business you have to be consistent, well rounded, and make sure you get paid for the effort. Take a look at her work and you'll see that hustle pays off with numerous Bollywood TV appearances, viral hits, and a host of mega clients to her name. Indian weddings have turned into mini Oscar ceremonies these days and Monica is at the forefront of the circuit. We sat down with her to talk about many things, but to kick off this series, mainly..."What's it like to travel the world working at an Indian wedding?"
1. You have a very interesting story. In an age where people either act OR sing or HOST or speak just a few languages OR write you seem to do it all. How did you get started, was your family supportive, and how come you decided to do it all?
MM: I used to be a big time extrovert interested in trying a new thing almost everyday since child hood. During my BBA and MBA, I hosted events and eventually made some videos on youtube which got me famous and I signed up as a lead for a Visions tv show ‘Happy Hours’. I learnt music from an early age and I used all the skills of languages, anchoring, singing and actor.
My family has been very supportive since day 1 so I'm blessed.
2. How did you get into weddings?
MM: I had a flair for languages and dance so those attributes helped me connect with a majority of pan India audiences. My clients appreciated me and gave me repeat shows for weddings. Because wedding requires a lot of socialising and interactive activities which I did with my mimicry skills & singing abilities. Plus for Indians it's important to know Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, English, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil etc.. and if you can work them all into your routine it really connects the room.
3. As an achor and a wedding professional in the desi space, how important is it to speak multiple languages?
MM: A lot. Because attention span in a wedding event is lesser compared to corporates where they are prepared to listen anywhich ways. To get peoples attention and to make them feel familiar, local language or the languages spoken by people there becomes a important necessity.
4. How is hosting a wedding event different than say, a corporate event? An awards show?
MM: A little different because you add more personalised statements about the family in your talks as well as more of shayaris, jokes which you dont use much in a formal corporate environment.
5. What word of advice do you have for someone who goes into this line of work?
MM: Constantly keep updated about the recent trends in media, Know your audience well, ice breaking is a must. Be humble, know it all attitude and arrogance wont take you anywhere. Command over the known languages is vital.
6. A lot of emcees or hosts, both guys and girls just think you put on a nice suit or outfit and read out of a cue card. It's obviously way more than that. What's the hardest part of the job?
MM: Sponteinity and to keep calm inside even when there may be a malfunction in the event or flow of the event. Because till the end, the shows flow keeps changing and you need to keep your cool.
7. As we all know in Indian events, if people like you, flights are not a big deal. Where all has your work taken you?
MM: All over India and internationally- Thailand & Singapore several times, Europe, Dubai, Abu dhabi, Mauritius
8. What's the best way to incorporate a host or singer into a wedding? (e.g. at the Sangeet, after the dinner at the reception)
MM: In the start, because thats when people need to be introduced to the evening or the ice needs to be broken, else later they get cranky due to hunger especially in Indian weddings
10. Any embarrassing or favorite moments from the field? (microphone stopped working, forgot couple's names)
MM:
a) In an awards night, the led went off so i had to spontaneously engage the crowd for 20 min without any content, so i handled it by conducting a panel discussion about ayurvedic home remedies as the company was herbal life.
b) A dance performance got canceled as the dancer had a breakdown, so i covered that up with my contingency karaoke tracks and sang for 15min
11. What's the biggest difference between doing an Indian wedding in India versus an Indian wedding outside of India?
MM: It's quite similar just that you have to be well equipped with everything because in India its easy to get stuff ordered but abroad there are limited options. But the tech support you get outside India is wow for sure
Has having an professional entertatiner at your wedding helped you? Let us know on Instagram or simply contact us for a quote if you need one.