Monica Dogra is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer and actress. of Indian

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 heritage. She is one half of the Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

-based electro rock

Electro rock

Electronic rock, also commonly referred to as synthrock, electro rock or digital rock, is rock music generated with electronic instruments...

 duo Shaa'ir and Func

Shaa'ir and Func

Shaa'ir and Func are an alternative, electronic music duo from Mumbai, composed of Monica Dogra and Randolph Correia, which was formed in 2007. They are a major band in India....

, and has recently acted in the Bollywood

Bollywood

Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

 film Dhobi Ghat.

She is the daughter of Kashmiri

Kashmiri people

The Kashmiri people are a Dardic linguistic group living in Kashmir Valley in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and parts of the Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir who speak the Kashmiri language...

 immigrants. Dogra grew up in Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

, Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 and attended Oakleigh Elementary School, Montessori, Dulaney High School

Dulaney High School

Dulaney High School is a secondary school in Timonium, Baltimore County, Maryland. The school serves a generally middle- to upper-middle class suburban community, with students from Timonium and surrounding areas in Baltimore County. Dulaney is a Blue Ribbon School and ranked #259 nationwide in...

, and NYU. She attended NYU from 2000–2004, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Music.

Career

In 2005, she formed the electro-rock group "Shaa'ir+Func", along with guitarist Randolph Correia. In 2007, they released their first album New Day: The Love Album, followed by Light Tribe in 2008 and Mantis in 2010. She also sang a song "Dooriyan Bhi Hai Zaroori" with Vishal Dadlani in the film Break Ke Baad

Break Ke Baad

Break Ke Baad is a 2010 romantic coming-of-age dramedy directed by Danish Aslam and starring Deepika Padukone and Imran Khan in lead roles. Shahana Goswami and Yudhishtr Urs play siblings while Sharmila Tagore, Navin Nischol and Lillete Dubey have supporting roles...

.

She has made a guest appearance in Rock On!!. In 2008, she was approached by Kiran Rao

Kiran Rao

Kiran Rao is an Indian film producer, screenwriter, and director.-Early life:Rao was born in Bangalore into a Konkani family on November 7, 1973. She was raised in Calcutta where she attended Loreto House and La Martiniere Calcutta. In 1992, her parents decided to leave Calcutta so she shifted to...

 for the lead role in her directorial debut film Dhobi Ghat - a role she initially turned down, but eventually accepted.She is a Dogra

Dogra

The Dogras are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group in South Asia. Being a diversified group, the Dogras include both Savarnas such as Brahmins, Rajputs and Non-savarnas. The Dogras also incluide merchant castes such as Mahajans...

 by ethnicity and not a Kashmiri. Presently she hosts The Dewarists a musical collaborative show on Indian television.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
2011	Dhobi Ghat	Shai	Debut film

External links