Monica (actress)

Monica (born Rekha Maruthiraj) is a former Indian film actress, who starred predominantly in Tamil language films. A child actor in the early 1990s, she mostly appeared in supporting roles, before taking lead roles from the late 2000s on. She is probably best known for performances in the films Azhagi, Imsai Arasan 23m Pulikesi and Silandhi. In 2012, she changed her name to Parvana for Malayalam films. In 2014, she converted to Islam, changing her name to M. G. Rahima, and announced that she had quit acting.

Personal life

On 30 May 2014, Monica converted to Islam. At a press meet, she said, "I didn’t convert for the reason of love or money, I am not such a person. I like Islamic principles, so I converted to Islam. I will intimate about my marriage to media once arranged by my parents and I really thank my dad for his full support. I was not convinced to change my name but finally, I have changed my name to M.G. Rahima (M.– Maruthi Raj (Father), G. – Gracy (Mother)). Hereafter, I won’t act in films". Monika’s father is Hindu and the mother is a Christian.