Aap Ki bindi Bedi

Some days it seems like the role of Shanti has rubbed off on her real life too. Recently, when she jumped a traffic signal, the police constable demanded chai-paani ka kharcha. That really bothered her and she got out of her car and said, quot;Shanti, anyay ke khilaf ladti haiquot;. That reduced the cop to nervous jitters.

Meanwhile, Mandira has gained in confidence with lead roles in the comedy Ghar Jamai Zee, the daily soap, Aurat DD1 and a role in Shyam Benegal8217;s, Sankranti, to say nothing of her irritation value in the hit film Dilwale Dulhaniya8230;

But what has excited her the most is her latest venture: a chat show Aap Ki Shanti DD1 which premiered on September 14. It takes Shanti a step forward from reel life to real life. Though she is unable to explain why there is a deluge of talk shows on air, she feels this one is different and stands out. The main difference being every episode is about a woman achiever, a survivor who is interviewed by Mandira.

quot;I was not ready for such a show and I was pretty nervous because it was a unchartered territory when UTV offered it to me. But when I took it up I found it very interesting and now I write a lot of the questions myself, adding value to the show. The research team gives me the information and I give it a structure like I want to present it,quot; she says modestly. Mandira8217;s fairy tale began when she joined ace adman Prahlad Kakkar as an assistant after a Mass Comm course from Sophiya College, Mumbai. Over there she was spotted by Adi Pocha of UTV, who was planning a daily soap and he called her for a screen test.

Frankly flummoxed, she nevertheless went for it and to her surprise was selected after another video test. quot;I was never interested in acting, that too in a Hindi serial because I come from a convent school in South Bombay and my Hindi was terrible,quot; recalls Bedi, a student of Cathedral amp; John Cannon. quot;And I was apprehensive because in any other job if I screw up it remains within the organisation but if I screw up here, all the people that watch the show come to know,quot; she adds, quite honestly.

Anyway, she decided to give it a shot and after August 15, 1994 when Shanti hit the airwaves, there was no looking back for her. After Shanti, there was a brief appearance in Philips Top Ten 8212; which she calls a mistake as she was not happy with the role and the delightful cameo as the innocent, simpering lover in Yash Chopra8217;s Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.

Last year, in May, Mandira began another daily soap Aurat DD1 in which she plays the protagonist, Prangali 8212; a strong woman who eventually shoots her own son because he does to a woman what was done to her. quot;When I was doing Shanti, I thought no more daily soaps but when Aurat came along, I couldn8217;t resist it. I8217;ve became a zombie, shuffling from one set to another. Two daily soaps were maddening,quot; she says. Her work in Sankranti, Benegal8217;s tribute to 50 years of Independence, went almost unnoticed. And Mandira is the first to agree that her role as Chandni, confused wife to Madhavan and bewildered daughter of Satish Shah, in Ghar Jamai, is not terribly exciting.

Still, Mandira is keenly aware of the impact she as a TV star can make on the audience. As an example she recalls a recent a tour of Sri Lanka 8212; where Shanti is dubbed and telecast in Sinhalese. 50,000 people were waiting to see her. Seeing the response she had generated, Mandira felt that she could settle down there and join politics!

Ever the realist, Mandira doesn8217;t want to be in front of the camera forever: 8220;I think I don8217;t have the looks and talent,8221; she says, 8220;Every morning I wake up, look at the mirror and say to myself stop fooling the world and get real,quot; she adds. Still, she8217;s having fun while the fairy tale lasts.