Mona Darling!

Indiagames is hoping to leverage actor Mona Singh's popularity into a win-win download.

She can't thank Sony Television enough. Mona Singh, aka Jassi, alias Jessica, on Sony TV's popular soap Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, is enjoying not just her new-found looks but, just as importantly, her freedom to be herself.

Where earlier she had to shun the press (the Sony team had reportedly put her up at a secret hotel with security guards so that the media wouldn't hound her), now she's free to rule the hearts of men in whichever avtaar she pleases.

And men, particularly in the north, do find Mona Singh attractive, says the research team of Indiagames, a leading global mobile content publisher, that is planning a unique fan site on the actor.

"Our research has revealed that Mona is a popular icon with young men, and the majority of users of value-added services on mobile phones are males," points out Vishal Gundal, CEO of Indiagames.

Indiagames, which had earlier signed up celebrities like noodlestrap beauty Mandira Bedi and cricketer Zaheer Khan, intends to use Mona "differently". So, look out for exclusive "Mona Singh Zones" and a "Mona Singh Club" and have fun downloading content based on her.

Ever since the ugly, brainy duckling Jassi transformed into a femme fatale on the soap, all manner of endorsement and film offers have been pouring in for the Pune-bred model-turned-actor.

So, while she had the Rs 100-crore vision care company Bausch & Lomb queuing up to leverage Jassi's transformation (to convey the message that opting for lenses could mean the transition from Plain Jane to a stunner), soft drinks major Coca Cola too wasted no time signing her on for an endorsement. But it was Godrej, the home lifestyle brand, that has roped her in as its new brand ambassador.

Even as Mona juggles between shooting for the popular soap, her new endorsement projects and public appearances, Indiagames hopes she'll find time to interact with her fans on the exclusive "Mona Singh Club" that they are creating. There will be video messages from her that can be downloaded and played on handsets.

The "Mona on Mobile Blog" chat module will allow her fans to ask questions which she will respond to on a weekly basis. The development team is already creating content comprising wallpapers, screensavers, images, and themes based around her. If the the ringtones and caller tunes will be from Mona's favourite songs, the mobile games will be based on her favourite sport or game. Audio messages and inspirational quotes from her will also be available on handsets.

"It's a fun product on her lifestyle, her likes and dislikes, or bits of information like her shooting schedule, or shooting locations," says Indiagames' CEO. But isn't that taking Mona Singh's (or Jassi's, or Jessica's) popularity too far? Gundal doesn't think so. India has a dearth of icons, he says, and Mona Singh, among them, is an enigma that India-games is hoping to unravel for its audiences.

But will the mystery translate into megabucks for the company? You'll hold the answer in your hands before long.