Monal Naval

Radhamonal Naval (26 January 1981 – 14 April 2002), known professionally as Monal, was an Indian actress who appeared in Tamil language films. She was the younger sister of actress Simran and appeared in notable productions including Badri (2001) alongside Vijay. She died by suicide in 2002.

Early life
Monal was born on 26 January 1981 as Radhamonal Naval to parents Ashok Naval and Saratha in Delhi. She did her schooling in Delhi and college in Bombay, and studied for the Bachelor of Commerce degree in Mithibai College. She had two sisters, Simran and Jyothi, and a brother, Sumith.

Career
She did some modelling, fashion shows and beauty contests, and subsequently received film offers. Monal's sister Simran was a leading actress in South Indian films during the period, while another sister, Jyoti, made her debut in 2003. She made her debut in 2001 and was reported by the media for throwing tantrums on the sets of her first film. She was signed to make her debut in Badri alongside Vijay, but her first release was Paarvai Ondre Pothume alongside Kunal (the actor of Kadhalar Dhinam).

Monal appeared in a few more films, with most turning out to be moderate successes at the box office. At the time of the death, she was working on Dadagiri, a Telugu film which featured her opposite Suman, and Best of Luck, a Tamil film co-starring Eashwar and Yugendran. On the day of her death, she had attended the launch of her new film Paiye Janmam, literally translating into "Ghost Life".

Death
She died by suicide, and was found hanging on 14 April 2002, aged just 21, in her room in Chennai. Her sister Simran in May 2002 accused choreographer Prasanna Sujit as a possible reason for her suicide, claiming that Prasanna had broken off his relationship with her just days earlier.