look at mandy

Just two hot to handle
Saturday, May 27, 2006 16:41 IST

The big interview

Many years ago, we worked together in a serial called 'Main'. You played a married man having an extramarital affair with me. I played the other woman, but someone with a heart.
What makes you think the other woman doesn't have a heart?

I mean, the other woman is generally shown as this cold-blooded person in serials and films. By the way, why are you defending the other woman so much?
I am defending all women. I love them.

Do you like hosting television shows?
Not any more. I need to keep moving in life. As an actor, I feel the need to do so many things. I love playing different characters.

But isn't it better to read your own lines and be yourself?
Yes, but there is a limit to it. I did it for a long time. And also people tend to associate those lines that I mouth as my opinion. A lot of people have had problems with what I say, not realising that I just say what is written in the script.

Knowing you, I am sure you'd have written most of the lines yourself.
That's not true. I just read out a script. Because I am an actor, I make it sound like I stand there and make up the whole thing. Sometimes, if the script is too harsh, I ask them to tone it down.

Gotcha! So, you have the liberty to tone it down. I remember some time back, I had lost my voice, and you had said on the show, 'Mandira has lost her voice. Well, who wants to listen to her, anyway'. Why didn't you get that line snipped off?
Don't forget, I have said some nice things about you too. Like when you took over 'Deal Ya No Deal' from Madhavan, I did say, 'Mandira taking over? That's a deal!"

Thanks. From films to television, did you see that as a step-down?
To tell you the truth, I died a thousand deaths before I said 'yes' to acting on television. There was a time, when I was desperately waiting for a film producer to call and all I would get were television offers. After a point, I had to say yes to survive. And when I actually started doing it, I thought, hey this is not so bad. And as luck would have it, television gave me much more popularity.

What do you think of the TV serial scene today?
Quite bad.

I think it's regressive.
You should know. You have been a part of 'Kyun Ki…' for some time.

That's the reason why I quit. I could not take it anymore. But I love hosting shows. I don't look at it as a step-down at all, because I started with television.
That's what I like about you, Mandira. You have always been so grounded.

Thanks.

Co-ordinated by: Shubha Shetty-Saha